Aubrey Plaza has broken her silence for the first time after her husband, director Jeff Baena, committed suicide this year. The actress described her ongoing grief as a “daily struggle” in an episode of Amy Poehler’s podcast Good Hang.
Aubrey Plaza on Amy Poehler’s podcast “Good Hang.”
Plaza Opens Up On Life After The Tragedy
In the talk Amy Poehler, a former Parks and Recreation co-star, enquired about how she was coping since what she termed as a terrible, tragic year. Plaza answered that she dealt with one day at a time.
As of this moment, I am so happy to be here with you, Plaza said. That is it, I am here and I am doing it, and it is just such a blessing to make it through the world. I feel all right but it is something like a struggle day by day.”
Her comments were her first extended contemplation on Baena’s passing, which occurred in January. He was 47.
Remembering Jeff Baena’s Career
Director Jeff Baena at a film premiere
Baena was famous due to his independent film creation. He grew to partnership with film director David O. Russell in the 2004 film I Heart Huckabees, which brought him critical notice at a young age.
He has returned to direct and co-write with Plaza on other screenplays, such as Life After Beth in 2014, the medieval comedy The Little Hours in 2017 and the Netflix film Horse Girl in 2020. Spin Me Round in 2022, with Plaza and Alison Brie in the lead were his most recent.
Plaza’s Analogy of Grief
Poster of 2025 Apple TV+ film “The Gorge.”
Plaza described her grief as similar to the plot of The Gorge, 2025 of the Apple TV series horror film starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy.
It has got a cliff right here and a cliff right there, and the raviine between them is full of the monster people, said Plaza. I swear, when I saw it, I am like, that is what my grief is.
She termed her feelings as an ocean of terribleness which refuses to go away. Rather, there are times when I want to immerse and just immerse myself in it. I gaze on it sometimes, at other times I attempt to escape it. It is never far, though.
Interpersonal and Matrimonial
Plaza and Baena started going out in 2011, when they met friends at a game night. They also did not speak much publicly about their relationship, although Plaza would sometimes mention how they both loved the same film.
After a ten-year relationship, the couple married in 2021. When Plaza died, a family statement issued by him described the death as being unimaginable tragedy, requesting privacy.
Friends and Colleagues’ Tributes
After the death of Baena, the friends and colleagues throughout the whole film industry paid tribute to his memory and work. In June, actress Debby Ryan shared a moving tribute conveying how hard sorrow is a process that never runs smoothly.
My hope is that someday grief feels more like satellites—always orbiting, often in view, but not a place to live,” Ryan wrote. She reflected on the projects they had planned to do together and the “gifts he continues to give” through the work he had done in the past.
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Moving Forward With Resilience
Seven months after her husband’s death, Plaza said she continues to struggle with the emotional challenges of grieving while attempting to focus on her career. She noted that while she is “functioning” and grateful to be alive, grief is ever-present.
Her openness on Good Hang offered a glimpse into her personal process as she balances private sorrow and public life. Plaza’s reflections indicated how she’s still coming to terms with the loss while holding Baena’s memory close and their decades of creative collaboration.
