Aubrey Plaza has broken her silence with an emotional look at life after losing her husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena, who died by suicide earlier this year at just 47 years old.
The 41-year-old White Lotus star sat down with longtime friend Amy Poehler on the podcast Good Hang, where she spoke openly about the depths of grief and how she’s managing the unimaginable.
‘A Terrible, Terrible, Tragic Year’
Poehler, 53, gently acknowledged the painful journey Plaza has faced. “You’ve had this terrible, terrible, tragic year,” Poehler began. “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 noted that Plaza’s loyal dog Frankie has been a lifeline through the storm. “Frankie’s like your therapy dog now,” Poehler 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?”
Plaza: ‘I Think I’m OK, But It’s Like A Daily Struggle’
Plaza’s response was raw, heartfelt, and deeply human. “Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you,” she said. “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.”
Her words captured the delicate balance between gratitude and pain that so often defines the grieving process.
An ‘Unimaginable Tragedy’
Plaza had mostly stayed quiet in the months after Baena’s death in early January. Just three days later, she issued a joint statement with the Baena/Stern family, saying: “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”
Baena, best known for films such as Life After Beth and Horse Girl, died on January 3 at his Los Angeles home, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office. Police confirmed they responded to a call near his residence and that he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Grief Compared To A Sci-Fi Battle
In her conversation with Poehler, Plaza turned to pop culture for a striking analogy. She recalled watching the 2025 sci-fi action movie 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, but I actually mean it,” Plaza said.
“Did you see that movie ‘The Gorge?’”
She explained: “In the movie, there’s a cliff on one side and a cliff on the other side, then there’s a gorge in between and it’s filled with all these monster people that are trying to get them.”
For Plaza, it became a metaphor for grief. “I swear when I watched it, I was like that feels like what my grief is like… or what grief could be like,” she admitted. “At all times, there’s like a giant ocean of awfulness, that’s like right there and I can see it.”
Her voice trembled as she added: “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.”
A Private Love Story
Plaza and Baena began their relationship in 2011 but remained intensely private about their lives together. It wasn’t until 2021 that Plaza confirmed their marriage in an Instagram post, surprising even some of her fans.
Now, she continues to carry on, finding solace in work, friendship, and Frankie the dog — but always with the weight of her loss close at hand.
