Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesAubrey Plaza’s first public response to the death of her husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena, was a brief statement released on January 6, 2025. Issued on behalf of Plaza and the Baena and Stern families, it called his death “an unimaginable tragedy,” thanked supporters and asked for privacy. More than seven months later, Plaza discussed her grief in greater detail on Good Hang with Amy Poehler.
Content note: This article discusses suicide and grief. It does not include method or graphic details.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Moonwalk: A Memoir | $23.38 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir | $9.75 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic – A Modern-Day Memoir from the Trailer Parks of Vegas... | $16.05 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Intimate Audrey: An Authorized Biography | $21.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
The Book of Sheen: A Memoir | $17.50 | Buy on Amazon |
What Aubrey Plaza said in January 2025
Plaza and the Baena and Stern families released the following statement on Monday, January 6, 2025:
“This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.#1 Best Overall
The statement was reported by CBS News and other outlets as a joint family statement. Although headlines described Plaza as having “spoken out,” this was not a long personal essay, sit-down interview or explanation of what had happened. It was a short public response from Plaza and the families during the first days of their bereavement.
What is confirmed about Jeff Baena’s death?
Baena died on Friday, January 3, 2025, at age 47. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined that his manner of death was suicide, a finding also reported by Reuters.
That official ruling is the appropriate basis for reporting the cause of death. Public accounts do not establish a motive, and there is no reliable basis for connecting Baena’s death to any particular event in his private life. In particular, later reporting about the couple’s relationship should not be treated as an explanation or cause.
Who was Jeff Baena?
Baena was an independent screenwriter and director whose work often combined dark comedy, surrealism and emotionally difficult subject matter. His credits included co-writing I Heart Huckabees with David O. Russell and writing and directing:
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match- Life After Beth (2014), his directorial debut;
- Joshy (2016);
- The Little Hours (2017);
- Horse Girl (2020), which he co-wrote and co-directed;
- Spin Me Round (2022), which he co-wrote and directed; and
- Cinema Toast, the 2021 anthology series he created and worked on.
The Television Academy’s biography of Baena documents his film and television work. Plaza appeared in several of his projects, including Life After Beth, The Little Hours and Spin Me Round.
Plaza and Baena’s relationship and creative partnership
Plaza and Baena met and began dating in 2011. In May 2021, Plaza referred to Baena as her “darling husband” in an Instagram post, and representatives confirmed that they had married. The exact date of their wedding was not initially made public. Their relationship was also a professional partnership: they repeatedly made films and television projects together.
A March 2025 report from ABC News, citing information from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, said the couple had separated in September 2024. That is a later-reported relationship-status detail, not evidence that the separation caused or contributed to Baena’s death. There is no responsible basis for making that connection.
Why Plaza was absent from the 2025 Golden Globes
Plaza had been scheduled to present at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards on January 5, two days after Baena’s death, but she did not attend. During the ceremony, director Brady Corbet, while accepting an award for The Brutalist, acknowledged Plaza and Baena’s family.
Corbet’s remarks were a public tribute, not a statement issued by Plaza, and there is no indication that Plaza requested or arranged them. The Los Angeles Times’ contemporaneous report covered both her absence and the tribute.
Plaza’s public appearances after Baena’s death
Plaza appeared in the SNL50 special on February 16, 2025. It was widely reported as her first television appearance after Baena’s death. Some coverage and fans interpreted the tie-dye shirt she wore as a possible tribute connected to her wedding and Baena’s interest in tie-dyeing. That interpretation has not been confirmed by Plaza and should remain attributed rather than presented as fact.
Her first reported post-death red-carpet appearance came on May 23, 2025, at the Cannes Film Festival, where she was promoting Honey Don’t!. Appearing at work-related events did not amount to a public account of her grief; Plaza had not yet offered a detailed discussion of Baena’s death.
What Plaza said about grief in August
The distinction between the January statement and Plaza’s later comments is important. On August 19, 2025, she appeared on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast while promoting Honey Don’t!. When Poehler asked how she was doing, Plaza said she was functioning and grateful to be moving through the world, while also describing grief as a “daily struggle.”
Rank #4
Plaza compared grief to what she described as a persistent “giant ocean of awfulness.” She used the film The Gorge as a metaphor: grief was like a threatening, ever-present void that she sometimes faced, sometimes tried to escape and sometimes felt drawn to enter. Her comments conveyed that she was continuing with daily life without suggesting that the loss had been resolved.
The full conversation is available in the official Good Hang with Amy Poehler episode. The Associated Press also provided a transcript-level account of Plaza’s remarks. This August appearance was her first detailed public discussion of how she was coping; it should not be folded into the January coverage as if she had made those comments immediately after Baena’s death.
The timeline at a glance
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Plaza and Baena met and began dating. |
| May 2021 | Plaza publicly referred to Baena as her husband; representatives confirmed their marriage. |
| September 2024 | Later reporting said the couple had separated. No cause-and-effect conclusion is established. |
| January 3, 2025 | Baena died at age 47 in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later ruled the manner of death suicide. |
| January 5, 2025 | Plaza, who had been scheduled to present at the Golden Globes, did not attend. Brady Corbet acknowledged her and Baena’s family. |
| January 6, 2025 | Plaza and the Baena and Stern families issued the brief “unimaginable tragedy” statement. |
| February 16, 2025 | Plaza appeared in the SNL50 special. |
| May 23, 2025 | She made her first reported post-death red-carpet appearance at Cannes for Honey Don’t!. |
| August 19, 2025 | Plaza discussed ongoing grief in detail on Good Hang with Amy Poehler. |
What the January statement did—and did not—say
Plaza’s January response communicated three things: the scale of the family’s loss, gratitude for public support and a request for privacy. It did not discuss Baena’s mental health, his final days, a motive, the couple’s private circumstances or Plaza’s grieving process.
That restraint matters. Baena’s films may contain difficult or death-related fictional themes, but the subject matter of a film is not evidence of a filmmaker’s personal state or intentions. Likewise, a separation reported after the fact cannot be used to construct a simple narrative about a suicide. The verified account is narrower: Baena died by suicide, his family and Plaza requested privacy, and Plaza later described grief as an ongoing daily struggle.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Best Value
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Aubrey Plaza release her first statement after Jeff Baena’s death?
Plaza and the Baena and Stern families released a brief joint statement on January 6, 2025, three days after Baena died. It called his death “an unimaginable tragedy,” thanked supporters and asked for privacy.
What was officially reported about Jeff Baena’s death?
Baena died at age 47 on January 3, 2025. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner determined that his manner of death was suicide. This article does not include method or graphic details.
Did Aubrey Plaza speak about her grief again?
Yes. On August 19, 2025, Plaza discussed grief on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast. She said she was functioning and grateful but that grief remained a “daily struggle,” describing it as a persistent “giant ocean of awfulness.”
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The Bottom Line
Aubrey Plaza’s first response after Jeff Baena’s death was a short joint statement asking for privacy. Her first detailed public discussion came months later, when she described grief not as something finished or resolved, but as an ongoing daily struggle.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
