Sign in

Aubrey Plaza shares insights on coping with grief after husband Jeff Baena's tragic passing; 'Sometimes I just want to…'

Aubrey Plaza reflected on her grief following the suicide of her husband Jeff Baena, sharing insights during her appearance on Amy Poehler's podcast.

Updated on: Aug 19, 2025, 16:52:39 IST
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

Aubrey Plaza opened up about dealing with grief following the passing of her husband Jeff Baena, who died by suicide on January 3 of this year at the age of 47.

Jeff Baena, husband of Aubrey Plaza, died by suicide.
Jeff Baena, husband of Aubrey Plaza, died by suicide.

During her appearance on the most recent episode of her friend Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast, Plaza was asked about her well-being after Baena's demise.

Aubrey Plaza discusses daily struggles of grief following husband's death

During their conversation, Poehler mentioned that Plaza's dog, Frankie, had been serving as her “therapy dog” and told The White Lotus star that “Just to get it out the way, people want to see you and want to see how you are, they love you.”

“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,” said Poehler, who co-starred with Plaza on Parks and Recreation from 2009 to 2015.

When the podcast host asked Plaza --“How are you feeling today?”, she replied, “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.”

Also Read: ‘What a weirdo’; James Comey's ‘On Taylor Swift’ video draws huge backlash, here's what he said

Aubrey Plaza compares her grief with film The Gorge

The Agatha All Along star further drew a comparison between her pain and the 2025 film The Gorge, which starred Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller, calling it a “really dumb analogy.”

She went on to describe The Gorge, saying: “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.”

Plaza also mentioned that whenever she watches that movie, she “feels like what my grief is like … or what grief could be like.”

She continued that there is a enormous ocean of terribleness that exists there at all times. “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's fans found out that the actress and Baena were married in May 2021 after she called him her “darling husband” in an Instagram post. The two began dating in 2011.

  • Shweta Kukreti
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shweta Kukreti

    Shweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events. Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics. In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World. Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC). She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh. She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.Read More