Aubrey Plaza speaks out after ‘unimaginable tragedy’ of husband’s death

Aubrey Plaza has shared a statement for the first time since the death of her husband Jeff Baena last week, at the age of 47.

Baena died by suicide on Friday (3 January) in his Los Angeles home near the Hollywood Hills and Los Feliz areas, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

A joint statement from Aubrey Plaza and the Baena / Stern family shared with The Independent reads: “This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”

Baena achieved recognition when he co-wrote the 2004 film I Heart Huckabees with director David O’Russell, receiving a Gotham Award nomination for Best Feature.

Among his other credits were the films Life After Beth (2014), The Little Hours (2017) and the Netflix movie Horse Girl (2020).

He and Plaza began dating in 2011 and married 10 years later.

In an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Plaza recalled how they were living together during lockdown amid the Covid pandemic when she realized it was their 10-year anniversary.

After joking that they could get married to celebrate, Plaza found a website called “OneHourMarriage.com” and asked if the officiant could come to their home.

Baena then went to get a food delivery while Plaza went over the road to her neighbor, Dandelion – a practicing witch – to ask if she could do a spell for her.

“She went into her house, rummaged around, came out with a rosemary wreath… and I created a very quick love altar in my yard,” Plaza recalled.

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“And then the man from [the marriage website] showed up in a Hawaiian shirt with a briefcase. I can’t remember a lot of it, it was fuzzy. But I’m pretty sure it’s legal.”

Plaza starred in Baena’s horror-comedy film Life After Beth, which was nominated for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize.

They worked together again on the medieval dark comedy The Little Hours, starring husband-and-wife Alison Brie and Dave Franco.

In 2020, Brie and Plaza co-starred again in the biggest commercial hit of Baena’s career, Horse Girl, which follows an introverted young woman whose dreams slowly start to take over her reality.

Baena’s most recent film Spin Me Round, premiered in 2022 and also starred Plaza and Brie.

During the 2025 Golden Globes, which were held on January 5, two days after Baena’s death, The Brutalist director Brady Corbet shared his condolences with Plaza and Baena’s family while accepting the award for Best Director – Motion Picture.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.