In a rare and deeply moving public conversation, Aubrey Plaza has opened up about the profound grief she is experiencing following the death of her husband, writer and director Jeff Baena. Speaking on the “Good Hang” podcast hosted by her longtime friend and former “Parks and Recreation” co-star, Amy Poehler, Plaza offered a raw and honest glimpse into her “daily struggle” seven months after Baena’s tragic passing.
The Rawness of Grief: Aubrey Plaza on Her “Daily Struggle” After Her Husband’s Death
The conversation began with a tender acknowledgment from Poehler, who referred to the past year as “terrible, terrible, tragic.” With gentle prompting, she asked Plaza how she was coping. Plaza’s response was a testament to her resilience and the ongoing nature of her pain. “Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you,” she said, before adding, “Overall, I’m here and I’m functioning. I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I think I’m okay, but it’s like a daily struggle, obviously.”
What followed was a unique and poignant analogy that encapsulated the complex and ever-present nature of grief. Plaza likened her experience to the 2025 film The Gorge, where characters are trapped between two cliffs with a chasm of “monster people” below. “I swear when I watched it, I was like that feels like what my grief is like,” she explained. “At all times there’s like a giant ocean of awfulness, that’s like right there and I can see it. Sometimes I just want to dive into it, and just like be in it. Then sometimes I just look at it, and sometimes I try to get away from it. But, it’s always there.”
The candor of her comparison resonated deeply, painting a picture of grief not as a temporary state, but as a permanent, ever-present landscape one must learn to navigate. It was a powerful and authentic articulation of a journey that is often misunderstood.
Plaza and Baena’s relationship was a private one, with the public only learning of their marriage in 2021. Their professional collaboration was as significant as their personal bond, with Plaza starring in several of Baena’s films, including Life After Beth and Spin Me Round. Poehler honored this legacy by highlighting Baena’s work, calling him an “incredible writer and director” whose “work is really special.”
In a world where celebrity grief is often sensationalized or kept strictly behind closed doors, Plaza’s interview with Poehler stands out as a genuine act of vulnerability and friendship. It underscored the importance of a safe space and the comfort of a trusted companion during unimaginable loss. While Plaza is now turning her creative energy to new projects, including a biopic on Heidi Fleiss, her words serve as a reminder that the path through grief is not linear, and the “daily struggle” is a testament to the love that remains.
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