Aubrey Plaza breaks silence on husband's suicide
In the latest episode of Good Hang, a podcast hosted by her longtime friend and former Parks and Recreation co-star, Amy Poehler, the 41-year-old actress reflected on how she's been navigating life in the months following Baena's suicide in January.
'Just to get it out of the way, people want to see you and want to see how you are, they love you,' Poehler said.
'You've had this terrible, terrible, tragic year. You lost your husband, you've been dealing with that and you've been looking for all different ways in which to feel and find support,' she added.
'On behalf of all the people who feel like they know you, and the people who do know you, how are you feeling today?' Poehler asked, to which Plaza responded, 'Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you.'
'Overall, 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,' she continued. Aubrey Plaza and Jeff Baena. Credit: David Crotty / Patrick McMullan via Getty Image
The White Lotus star drew an unexpected comparison between the experience of grief and the 2025 film The Gorge, which stars Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy.
'This is a really dumb analogy and it was kind of a joke at a certain point, but I actually mean it. Did you see that movie The Gorge?' she asked.
'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 … or what grief could be like.
'At all times there's like 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,' she explained.
Plaza started dating Baena, a writer and director, in 2011, after her rise to fame in the hit sitcom Parks and Recreation.
Baena, known for his work on films such as I Heart Huckabees, Life After Beth, The Little Hours, and Horse Girl, was 47 when he died. His body was discovered by his assistant at the couple's Los Angeles home.
Following his passing, Plaza and Baena's family released a statement calling his death an 'unimaginable tragedy.'
Lifeline: 13 11 14.
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Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Aubrey Plaza describes grief as 'a giant ocean of awfulness' following suicide of husband Jeff Baena
Aubrey Plaza has described her grief as "a giant ocean of awfulness" following the death of her estranged husband, Jeff Baena. The screenwriter and director took his own life on January 3, aged 47, with his body discovered at his home in Los Angeles, California, by his dog walker. Plaza - who had separated from Baena in September 2024 - admits every day is a "struggle" as she continues to mourn the painful loss seven months on. Asked how she is doing by her Parks and Recreation co-star Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast, she said: 'Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you. Overall, 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." She continued: 'This is a really dumb analogy and it was kind of a joke at a certain point, but I actually mean it. Did you see that movie The Gorge? 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 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 … or what grief could be like. 'At all times there's like 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.' Breaking her silence on his death three days later, Plaza had said in a statement given to People: "This is an unimaginable tragedy. "We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. "Please respect our privacy during this time."
Sydney Morning Herald
10 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Ocean of awfulness': Aubrey Plaza opens up about husband's death for first time
She said she sometimes wants to 'dive into it and just be in it', while other times she just wants to look at it. 'And then sometimes I just try to get away from it – but it's always there.' According to the medical examiner's report released in March, the couple had separated four months before Baena's death. Plaza and his family shared a brief statement following the filmmaker's passing, describing it as 'an unimaginable tragedy' and imploring people to respect their privacy. Since then, the actress has largely remained out of the spotlight. However, she is currently doing the media rounds as part of the promotion of her upcoming film, Ethan Coen's Honey Don't! – her first major film release this year. 'Overall, I'm here, and I'm functioning. I feel really grateful to be moving through the world,' Plaza said on the podcast. 'But it's like a daily struggle, obviously.' Baena was known for his work co-writing the quirky comedy I Heart Huckabees in 2004. He went on to write and direct the films Life After Beth, Joshy, The Little Hours, Horse Girl and Spin Me Round, and also created the anthology series Cinema Toast. Plaza starred in his directorial debut Life After Beth in 2014. The couple worked together on five films, performing together in The End of Love (2014). Loading Though Plaza is best known for her role as the dark and dry April on Parks and Recreation, she has also starred in Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Dirty Grandpa, The White Lotus and Megalopolis. In 2023, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her part in the second season of The White Lotus. How have people responded? Since the podcast episode dropped, listeners have flooded social media to express gratitude for Plaza and Poehler's delicate navigation of such a sensitive subject. Many found the description of grief as an 'ocean of awfulness' relatable and somewhat comforting. Listeners also considered it a refreshing departure from western culture's traditional approach to death, especially suicide, which is generally to avoid it. 'I also lost my partner this year and I didn't expect this episode to be so comforting. I thought they would just ignore Aubrey's grief, as that is what most of my friends have done. It was nice to see everyone be so honest about it and not afraid of it,' one listener wrote in the comments section on YouTube. On Instagram, writer Evan Ross Katz praised both women for their approach to conversations about death and loss. 'I've said it before and I'll say it again: Nothing heals the heart like hearing people talk about their grief journey. Incredibly grateful to Aubrey Plaza for sharing this, and to Amy Poehler for shepherding the conversation. Good Hang, once again, delivers.' Several others highlighted Poehler's approach in particular, applauding the comedian for including the National Suicide and Crisis Prevention Lifeline at 988 and Spotify's mental health resources in the episode.
The Age
10 hours ago
- The Age
‘Ocean of awfulness': Aubrey Plaza opens up about husband's death for first time
She said she sometimes wants to 'dive into it and just be in it', while other times she just wants to look at it. 'And then sometimes I just try to get away from it – but it's always there.' According to the medical examiner's report released in March, the couple had separated four months before Baena's death. Plaza and his family shared a brief statement following the filmmaker's passing, describing it as 'an unimaginable tragedy' and imploring people to respect their privacy. Since then, the actress has largely remained out of the spotlight. However, she is currently doing the media rounds as part of the promotion of her upcoming film, Ethan Coen's Honey Don't! – her first major film release this year. 'Overall, I'm here, and I'm functioning. I feel really grateful to be moving through the world,' Plaza said on the podcast. 'But it's like a daily struggle, obviously.' Baena was known for his work co-writing the quirky comedy I Heart Huckabees in 2004. He went on to write and direct the films Life After Beth, Joshy, The Little Hours, Horse Girl and Spin Me Round, and also created the anthology series Cinema Toast. Plaza starred in his directorial debut Life After Beth in 2014. The couple worked together on five films, performing together in The End of Love (2014). Loading Though Plaza is best known for her role as the dark and dry April on Parks and Recreation, she has also starred in Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Dirty Grandpa, The White Lotus and Megalopolis. In 2023, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her part in the second season of The White Lotus. How have people responded? Since the podcast episode dropped, listeners have flooded social media to express gratitude for Plaza and Poehler's delicate navigation of such a sensitive subject. Many found the description of grief as an 'ocean of awfulness' relatable and somewhat comforting. Listeners also considered it a refreshing departure from western culture's traditional approach to death, especially suicide, which is generally to avoid it. 'I also lost my partner this year and I didn't expect this episode to be so comforting. I thought they would just ignore Aubrey's grief, as that is what most of my friends have done. It was nice to see everyone be so honest about it and not afraid of it,' one listener wrote in the comments section on YouTube. On Instagram, writer Evan Ross Katz praised both women for their approach to conversations about death and loss. 'I've said it before and I'll say it again: Nothing heals the heart like hearing people talk about their grief journey. Incredibly grateful to Aubrey Plaza for sharing this, and to Amy Poehler for shepherding the conversation. Good Hang, once again, delivers.' Several others highlighted Poehler's approach in particular, applauding the comedian for including the National Suicide and Crisis Prevention Lifeline at 988 and Spotify's mental health resources in the episode.
