Aubrey Plaza Shares Struggle with Daily Life After Husband Jeff Baena’s Death

Aubrey Plaza is opening up about life after the death of her husband, Jeff Baena, calling it a “daily struggle” to keep going. The actress spoke with her friend and former “Parks and Recreation” co-star Amy Poehler on the latest episode of Poehler’s podcast, “Good Hang.”

Baena, a writer and director, died by suicide in January at the age of 47. He was known in Hollywood for projects like the 2004 film I Heart Huckabees. Plaza and Baena also worked together on the 2014 horror-comedy Life After Beth, the 2021 comedy series Cinema Toast, and the 2022 movie Spin Me Round.

During the podcast, Poehler asked Plaza how she was feeling. Plaza replied, “In this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you. I’m here and I’m functioning. I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I think I’m okay, but it’s like a daily struggle, obviously.”

Plaza also shared how her grief feels, comparing it to a recent film, The Gorge, which stars Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy. She said, “It’s like [an] alien movie or something with Miles Teller. In the movie, there’s like a cliff on one side and there’s a cliff on the other side, then there’s a gorge in between and it’s filled with all these like monster people that are trying to get them. I swear when I watched it, I was like that feels like what my grief is like.”

She explained her grief as a constant presence. “It’s a giant ocean of awfulness, that’s like right there and I can see it. Sometimes I just want to dive into it and just like be in it. Then sometimes I just look at it, and sometimes I try to get away from it. But, it’s always there.”

Plaza and Baena first met during a game night in 2011 and started dating shortly after. In 2021, Plaza shared on social media that they had gotten married. Baena proposed at a site in Zugarramurdi connected to the Basque witch trials, and the couple celebrated their tenth anniversary with a small backyard wedding.

They quietly separated in September 2024 after marital difficulties, and Plaza stayed in New York while Baena began therapy in October following concerning remarks that led Plaza to call a friend for a welfare check.

On January 3, 2025, Baena was found dead at his Los Angeles home by his dog walker. He was last known to be alive that morning and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled his death a suicide by hanging, noting that he had no prior suicide attempts. The news came just days before the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, where Plaza had been set to present. Baena’s funeral took place on January 10, 2025, in Miami.

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