Aubrey Plaza opened up about her grief and struggles following her husband Jeff Baena‘s tragic death in a recent interview. Baena died at his home on January 3, 2025, and his autopsy report stated he died by suicide. The former couple tied the knot in 2021 and separated in September 2024, several months before the latter’s demise. Following their separation and before his death, the late filmmaker reportedly made some troubling remarks to the actress. This prompted the latter to call in a friend to perform a wellness check on him.
Aubrey Plaza opens up following husband Jeff Baena’s demise
Aubrey Plaza appeared on the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast, where she discussed her grief and struggles following husband Jeff Baena’s death.
Poehler kicked off their interaction, noting that the Ingrid Goes West star had suffered a “terrible, terrible, tragic year” due to the loss of her husband and that she had been exploring ways to find support. The former then asked the latter, “How are you feeling today?”
“Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you,” Plaza responded. She continued, “Overall, I’m here and I’m functioning. I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I think I’m OK, but it’s like a daily struggle, obviously.”
The Agatha All Along actress likened her grieving experience to the premise of the 2025 film The Gorge, starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy.
“This is a really dumb analogy, and it was kind of a joke at a certain point,” the Parks and Recreation alum stated. She said she meant it when she compared her grief to The Gorge’s plot.
Plaza explained the film’s plot to Poehler. “In the movie, there’s a cliff on one side and there’s a cliff on the other side,” she said. “Then there’s a gorge in between, and it’s filled with all these monster people that are trying to get them.”
The Primetime Emmy nominee noted that when she watched the film, she felt that her grief was similar to what was depicted in it. “At all times, there’s like a giant ocean of just awfulness that’s right there,” she added.
“Sometimes I just want to dive into it, and just like be in it,” she further stated. “Then sometimes I just look at it, and sometimes I try to get away from it. But, it’s always there.”
Plaza commented that the monster people in the film were “trying to” get her, like Teller and Taylor-Joy.
Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on ComingSoon.net.
