Tom DeLonge

The famous rockstar turned UFO researcher

Name	Thomas Matthew DeLonge
Age	49
Born	December 13, 1975
Famous for	Founding the To The Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences

Tom DeLonge’s career, as some might say, can be viewed into eras: a rockstar, a businessman, a writer, a filmmaker, and the most controversial of all, a UFO researcher. No other UFO/UAP researchers so far can compare to his career transition into the field. 

How did this man become involved in Ufology? What did he do, or is he doing to contribute to it?

His Transition Into UFO Research 

Tom DeLonge had an illustrious music career, starting from his first band Blink-182, then Box Car Racer and Angels & Airwaves. However, in 2015, he walked away from it all to pursue the subject he had always been curious about since childhood: UFOs.

Bandmate Travis Baker can testify to DeLonge’s obsession with UFOs. There were times while on tour that DeLonge would invite the band and staff to look for UFOs, adding that “he would assemble a crew and they would go do it.” This statement from Baker solidifies that DeLonge isn’t taking Ufology as a flight of fancy: no, he was very passionate about and invested in it.

So, what triggered him into this path?

In an interview with The New York Times, DeLonge shared that part of the reason for going into UFO research was his troubled family life. One summer in junior high school, he remembered thinking, “there’s got to be more to all this” besides a broken family and a 9-to-5 job. He found some semblance of an answer in science fiction (at the time, he and his brother were into Star Wars, which influenced his interest). This eventually led him to think a little bit broader: UFOs.

He admitted that the subject of UFOs started as a hobby. Back when Blink-182 started touring, he only read a few books for leisure. However, he became increasingly engrossed in it, realizing how real and complex Ufology was. It built up his fascination to the point that “it has overtaken anything else as a hobby” for him.

The NY Times also asked him if he had ever seen a UFO. Here’s what he answered:

I saw some really anomalous stuff one night out in the desert, zipping across the stars, horizon to horizon, zigzagging. That really blew my mind because no satellites move that way. But I can’t tell you what it was. I think, like most people, the stuff that I’ve seen is a lot of stuff on the internet, where I bet some of it really is true, but you really don’t know which pieces.

On Facing Skepticism and Ridicule

DeLonge’s career pivot to Ufology was met with criticism from both fans and skeptics.

Fans think he’s crazy for pursuing what they viewed as an eccentric obsession. Skeptics question his ability to lead serious scientific research because he lacks formal training and sometimes shares overly broad ideas and claims of insider information.

However, he remains unbothered by them, standing by his assertions and projects.

His UFO/UAP-Related Projects

To The Stars Academy 

In 2017, DeLonge, along with 12 ex-government and defense contractor insiders, founded To The Stars Academy (TTSA). It aims to increase the public’s awareness of UFOs/UAPs and advocate for their full disclosure from the government. 

Two notable members of the organization include Luis Elizondo, the former director of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), and Christopher Mellon, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.

How TTSA Came to Be

It started at Lockheed’s Skunk Works employee event, where DeLonge was able to meet with the top bosses of the world’s premier aerospace design firm. This then paved the way for him to meet high-level government and military officials who, like him, believed in the importance of disclosure. 

These officials gave him a team of well-connected government insiders and shared some credible information.

How DeLonge Convinced the Officials 

DeLonge understands that when talking with authorities and prominent Ufology figures, he mustn’t only be eloquent but also humble. He conversed with them respectfully, which earned him their trust and led to more meetings.

So, when he pitched about his new organization, TTSA, they had been amenable and open. He explained to them that the military industrial complex had gotten a bad reputation with the public, especially among millennials. Through TTSA, he could, as the TWZ puts it, “change these perceptions and even help with plausible deniability as the information he was given slowly trickled forward.” 

Figuring that the timing was right, they had agreed to his proposal. And so, the TTSA was officially formed.

How TTSA Rose to Fame

The UFO/UAP community and the public came to know TTSA through the three videos of supposed UFOs it released in 2017: FLIR1, GIMBAL, and GO FAST. All three were captured by U.S. fighter pilots.

Two years later, the U.S. Navy, through its spokesperson Joseph Gradisher, confirmed that the unidentified objects in the videos were UAPs. The Pentagon also released a statement that these objects were “real but still a total mystery.” 

Such confirmation made DeLonge and the TTSA team elated, as well as brought frenzy to the UFO/UAP community, the media, and the public..

Unidentified: Inside America’s UFO Investigations 

In 2019, DeLonge produced the docuseries Unidentified: Inside America’s UFO Investigations, which aired on the History Channel for two seasons.

Here, Elizondo and Mellon reveal some U.S. government UFO investigations, encounters, and eyewitness accounts.

The docuseries aims to encourage the public to question what they know and should know about this topic and to seek answers to these questions, whether from the government, the UFO/UAP community, or by themselves.

Sekret Machine

DeLonge wanted to write a book centered on UFOs/UAPs, and it came in the form of the Sekret Machine (SM) book series. 

SM, which he co-wrote with A.J. Hartley, is a fictional UFO story based on actual events, adding that it’s “the outcome of many secret meetings across the U.S. with government officials.” 

The series includes Book 1: Chasing Shadows (2016) and Book 2: A Fire Within (2018). It was announced in 2022 that the first book, Chasing Shadows, is in the works for a TV adaptation.

DeLonge also wrote a non-fiction version of the SM book series with Peter Levenda. The first book, Sekret Machines: Gods, was published in 2017.

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FAQ

Is he considered a credible UFO researcher? 

It’s debatable, as Tom DeLonge hasn’t truly done any research. Rather, he has shared video clips of UAPs with the media and online and produced books and films. He also provided a platform and insider information for ex-officials, scientists, and enthusiasts to pursue their research on UFOs.

Has he been recognized for his UFO work? 

Yes, especially after the U.S. Navy and the Pentagon acknowledged that the videos he and the TTSA posted were authentic.

What role did he play in UFO disclosure?

Tom DeLonge, through TTSA, facilitated the government’s transparency in regards to UFOs/UAPs.