Aubrey Plaza Reveals Shocking Truth About Her Grief in Haunting First Interview Since Husband’s Death
What’s the strangest place you’ve ever found comfort after a loss—an old sitcom rerun, the crackle of a snack bag echoing through the living room in the middle of the night, or maybe, just maybe, the gentle nudge of a furry companion at your feet? The truth: grief makes aliens of us all, and even the sharpest wit can feel dulled by heartache. This week, on Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast, Aubrey Plaza did what few celebrities attempt—she cracked open her private world of sorrow after losing her husband, Jeff Baena, to suicide earlier this year. Four months separated, thirteen years together, and a swirling ocean of questions in between . How do we wade through that kind of gorge without being swallowed whole? Plaza speaks about grief, gratitude, and what it means to be both lost and found, sometimes thanks to a therapy dog named Frankie. Dive in if you’re ready for a story that’s raw, witty, and achingly human—because sometimes, making it through the echos of tragedy takes more than resilience. It takes honesty. It takes a kind of hope you can hardly name. And, if you’re curious (or simply need to know you’re not alone), you can LEARN MORE.
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Aubrey Plaza recently opened up about the loss of her husband, Jeff Baena, in a new interview.
The actress was a guest on former Parks and Recreation co-star Amy Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang, in an episode that was uploaded earlier today (August 15).
On the podcast, she was asked how she was doing following the death of her husband by suicide in January this year.
A medical report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner stated that Plaza and Baena had been separated for four months before his passing, as the couple had been ‘experiencing recent marital difficulties’.
Following Baena’s death, Plaza said in a statement that it was ‘an unimaginable tragedy’ to endure.
Now, the White Lotus star has spoken about how the loss of her partner of over 13 years, and how she has coped since his death.
Aubrey Plaza and Jeff Baena got married in 2021 (C Flanigan/FilmMagic)
Poehler pointed out that her pooch Frankie was a ‘therapy dog‘ for Plaza during the toughest of times.
She went on: “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.”
In response, Plaza 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.”
The 41-year-old went on to compare her grief following the death of her husband to the film, The Gorge, explaining that it’s an alien film starring 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,” she started to explain.
“I swear when I watched it, I was like that feels like what my grief is like … or what grief could be like.”
Plaza said it can feel like ‘there’s a giant ocean of awfulness’ which she can see, adding that ‘sometimes I just want to dice into it and be in it’.
“Sometimes I just look at it, and sometimes I try to get away from it. But, it’s always there,” she admitted.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
