Sarah KnieserAug 26, 2025 5 min read

Aubrey Plaza Opens Up About Grief In New Interview

Aubrey Plaza on Good Hang with Amy Poehler
YouTube / Good Hang with Amy Poehler

For the first time in seven months, Aubrey Plaza has spoken publicly about the death of her husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena. In a candid and emotional conversation with her former Parks and Recreation co-star Amy Poehler on the Aug. 19 episode of Poehler’s podcast Good Hang, Plaza reflected on the intensity of her grief and how she has been coping since Baena’s passing earlier this year.

A “Giant Ocean of Awfulness”

Plaza, 41, admitted that speaking about Baena’s death was uncomfortable but necessary. At the start of the podcast, Poehler gently acknowledged what Plaza has been through, holding her hand in support. Plaza responded: “Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you. I’m here and I’m functioning and I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I’m okay, but it’s a daily struggle, obviously.”

Aubrey Plaza leaving the Megalopolis press conference at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Wikimedia Commons / Frank Sun / CC 4.0

In explaining how she experiences grief, Plaza turned to a striking metaphor drawn from the 2025 action-horror movie The Gorge. “In the movie, there’s like a cliff on one side and then there’s a cliff on the other side and then there’s like a gorge in between and it’s filled with all these like monster people that are trying to get them,” she told Poehler. “I swear, when I watched it, I was like, ‘That feels like what my grief is like.’ At all times there’s like a giant ocean of just awfulness that’s like right there and I can like see it and like sometimes I just want to like dive into it and just like be in it and then sometimes I just look at it and then sometimes I’m like, I just try to get away from it, but it’s always there.”

Her description has resonated widely with fans, who have praised her for articulating the experience of loss in such vivid terms.

Fans Relating to Her Words

Since the episode aired, listeners have flooded the comment sections with messages of support and solidarity. One YouTube user who had also lost a spouse this year wrote: “It means so much to hear from Aubrey and not feel alone. The description of her grief experience is resonating so much.” Another listener added: “That’s such an accurate depiction of grief. I appreciate her vulnerability and love seeing her laugh and just hang out with a good friend right now.”

Others highlighted the role Poehler played in helping Plaza open up. “Aubrey’s body language and vocal cadence seemed uncomfortable and uncertain towards the beginning,” one commenter noted. “About halfway through, the tension eased. Kudos to Amy for providing Aubrey a space of normalcy – to sit with a friend and loosen up even just for an hour.”

Remembering Jeff Baena

Baena, a director and screenwriter known for films such as Life After Beth and Spin Me Round, was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Jan. 3 at the age of 47. His death was ruled a suicide, with no foul play suspected. Reports at the time indicated that he and Plaza were separated.

Jeff Baena & Aubrey Plaza attending a showing of The Little Hours at SIFF Cinema Uptown during the Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle, Washington, U.S. | Wikimedia Commons / Joe Mabel / CC 4.0
Jeff Baena & Aubrey Plaza attending a showing of The Little Hours at SIFF Cinema Uptown during the Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle, Washington, U.S. | Wikimedia Commons / Joe Mabel / CC 4.0

The pair began dating in 2010 and quietly married in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond their personal relationship, they were also creative collaborators. Plaza starred in several of Baena’s projects, including Life After Beth, the medieval comedy The Little Hours, and the 2022 romantic comedy Spin Me Round.

When news of Baena’s death first broke, Plaza joined his family in releasing a brief statement calling the loss “an unimaginable tragedy” and asking for privacy. Until her conversation with Poehler, she had not spoken publicly about him.

Moving Forward

The podcast episode was originally intended to promote Plaza’s new film Honey Don’t!, which arrives in theaters Aug. 22, but Poehler made space for her friend to reflect on the past months. The two also shared lighter moments, reminiscing about their time on Parks and Recreation and discussing Plaza’s childhood, her early career, and their mutual love of animals.

Aubrey Plaza and Margaret Qualley in 'Honey Don't'
Focus Features

Poehler closed the interview by encouraging listeners to revisit Baena’s work. “He was an incredible writer and director, and his work is really special,” she said.

For Plaza, the conversation was both painful and cathartic. Her metaphor of grief as a gorge filled with “monster people” has sparked conversations online, offering a raw but relatable depiction of mourning. While Plaza admitted she is still struggling, her openness has provided comfort to fans who are navigating their own losses.

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