Aubrey Plaza Makes First Public Appearance Since Husband Jeff Baena’s Death

Aubrey Plaza made her first public appearance since the death of her husband Jeff Baena last month. On Sunday, Feb. 16, The White Lotus alum introduced musical guests Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard during the SNL50: The Anniversary Special event, where she quietly paid tribute to her late husband.

During her brief appearance at the event, Plaza, who did not appear on the red carpet, wore black dress pants and a blazer with a tie-dye shirt underneath as she introduced the musical guests, who performed “Nothing Compares 2 U.” The Parks and Recreation star’s outfit offered a subtle nod to her husband and their 2021 wedding, as Plaza previously revealed that they donned tie-dye attire during the ceremony.

“We got married on a whim, literally decided at like 5 p.m. and got married at like, 8:30,” she said during a December 2021 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. “Jeff got really into tie-dying during the quarantine, so I decided that Jeff and I were going to wear tie-dye pajamas that he had made for us. I made a love altar in the backyard of all of our love objects. It was very witchcore, but it happened.”

Plaza and Baena married in 2021 after they first began dating in 2011. Three years after they sparked romance, they worked together on Baena’s 2014 directorial debut, Life After Beth, which starred the actress as Beth Slocum, who dies after being bitten by a venomous snake while hiking and comes back as a zombie. The couple worked on numerous other projects together in the years that followed, including The End of Love (2012), The Little Hours (2017), and Spin Me Round (2022), as well as the comedy series Cinema Toast, which aired on Showtime in 2021.

On Jan. 3, an assistant discovered Baena’s body at his home in Los Angeles. The director was pronounced dead at the scene, and his cause of death was ruled suicide, according to a report by the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner. He was 47.

In a joint statement with Plaza’s family shared three days after Baena’s death, Plaza said, “this is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”

Plaza has not been seen in public since her husband’s passing. She had been set to present at the Golden Globes, but did not attend the event, which was held just two days after Baena’s death. The actress also appeared to have deleted her Instagram account last month.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.