Jeff Baena, left, writer and director of Life After Beth, poses with cast member and then-girlfriend Aubrey Plaza at the premiere of the film at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in January 2014 in Park City, Utah. AP Photo
Aubrey Plaza has spoken publicly about the grief of losing her husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena, describing it as a constant and painful presence in her life.
The Parks and Recreation star opened up during an appearance on Amy Poehler’s podcast Good Hang on Tuesday. Baena, known for directing acclaimed indie films including Life After Beth and The Little Hours, died in January at age 47. His death was ruled a suicide.
Asked gently by Poehler how she was coping, Plaza paused before offering a raw and honest response.
“Overall, I’m here and I’m functioning,” she said. “I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I’m OK. But, you know, it’s a daily struggle, obviously.”
Grief Compared to “A Gorge of Darkness”
Plaza attempted to describe the weight of grief by referencing the 2025 film The Gorge, starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy.
“That’s what my grief feels like,” she explained. “There’s this pit filled with violence, monsters and darkness. At all times, there’s a giant ocean of awfulness right there, and I can see it. Sometimes I want to dive into it. Sometimes I just stare at it. Sometimes I try to escape it. But it’s always there, and the monsters are trying to get me.”
Her metaphor painted a vivid picture of the emotional battles she continues to face months after Baena’s passing.
Finding Light Through Friendship
Later in the conversation, Poehler circled back to Plaza’s reflections on grief. She asked how her longtime friend manages to stay “above the line” rather than being pulled into despair.
Plaza credited her improv group, Bombardo, with giving her strength and laughter during her darkest moments.
“We have a text chain, we do Zooms, and we take trips together,” she shared warmly. “Those girls make me laugh really, really hard. That’s the best thing that lifts me — all my funny friends.”
Moving Forward Professionally
The podcast appearance also coincided with the promotion of Plaza’s latest film, Honey Don’t!, directed by Ethan Coen. In the dark comedy, a small-town investigator, played by Margaret Qualley, unravels a string of mysterious deaths tied to a church. Plaza portrays a police officer in the film, which opens this Friday.
It is her first major release since Baena’s passing. Plaza has also recently appeared in Marvel’s Agatha All Along, the surrealist comedy My Old Ass, and Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited epic Megalopolis.
A Creative Partnership Remembered
Baena and Plaza shared not only a marriage but also a creative bond that stretched across much of their careers. The couple began dating in 2011, three years before Plaza starred in his directorial debut Life After Beth. She went on to feature in several of his projects, including Joshy in 2016 and The Little Hours in 2017.
In a 2017 interview with Marc Maron, Baena described their partnership as rare and fulfilling.
“The opportunities to create together, to do something where we’re both fulfilled — how rare is that?” he said at the time. “She’s so talented, and I’m really lucky.”
Carrying His Legacy
Though Plaza now speaks of grief as an ever-present shadow, her words reflect resilience as she continues to navigate life and career after Baena’s death. With her closest friends and creative outlets helping her endure, Plaza has chosen to share her journey publicly, offering a candid glimpse into the ongoing process of healing.
As she told Poehler, the struggle is daily — but through laughter, work, and community, Aubrey Plaza is learning to carry both the love and the loss.
