Aubrey Plaza has broken her silence after the news of her husband Jeff Baena’s tragic death at 47.
In a short statement obtained by DailyMail, a rep for the actress, 40, said: ‘This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.’
The statement comes after Plaza was forced to skip her presenting duties at last night’s 82nd annual Golden Globes in Los Angeles Sunday.
Plaza, 40, was revealed as a presenter by the show in a news release Friday – the same day Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s officials confirmed Baena, 47, was found dead at a home in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, ruling it a suicide by hanging.
Plaza – who began dating Baena in 2011 and wed him in 2021 – had collaborated with her late spouse on movies such as 2014’s Life After Beth, 2017’s The Little Hours and 2022’s Spin Me Round.
While Plaza was not present for the Golden Globes Sunday, The Brutalist director Brady Corbet, 36, named her and Baena after winning for Best Director.
Aubrey Plaza has broken her silence after the news of her husband Jeff Baena’s tragic death at 47. Pictured last month in NYC
Baena and Plaza began dating in 2011 and wed in 2021; pictured in LA in June of 2017
‘Finally, tonight my heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff’s family – good night,’ Corbet said, as the cameras panned on an emotional Adrien Brody, 51, in the audience, as The Brutalist leading man held back tears.
While Baena had not received any Golden Globe nominations in his career, he did nab a pair of nods for the Grand Jury Prize for two of his films at the Sundance Film Festival. They included Joshy in 2016 and Life After Beth in 2014.
Plaza’s potential attendance at the show, nicknamed ‘Hollywood’s Party of the Year,’ was a hot topic among users on X/Twitter, many of whom said it was clear the actress did not need to be in the limelight two days after her husband’s death.
‘Move the f*** out because what do you mean you still expect aubrey plaza to present on the golden globes,’ said one user. ‘Y’all need to chill and let her grieve, not perform.’
One user said, ‘Can we stop acting like Aubrey Plaza owes us a Golden Globes appearance? She’s grieving. Let her be,’ while another said that ‘people need to respect her choices.’
In response to a user suggesting she should attend as a show of personal strength, another user responded, ‘She lost her life partner of FOURTEEN years just a few hours ago, she doesn’t need to show up to be viewed as “strong”, she’s grieving and needs to be vulnerable or wherever she chooses to grief, not to prove anything to you, damn stupid a******.’
Another user condemned remarks circulating on social media as news circulated of Baena’s death.
Baena and Plaza pictured at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on August 8, 2014 in LA
The pair was pictured at a May 2016 private party in Silverlake, California
Plaza and Baena posed in 2017 in Park City, Utah at the Sundance Film Festival, an event the filmmaker had twice been nominated for the Grand Jury Prize
‘Aubrey Plaza’s husband just died, and the amount of “oh she’s single” and “what about the golden globes” tweets are sickening,’ the user said. ‘Think before you tweet. I know thats hard for some of you with the lack of a developed frontal lobe but leave that woman the f*** alone right now.’
Plaza has been flooded with condolences following her spouse’s passing, as colleagues such as Julia Fox and Selma Blair have been among the people to offer the actress-producer, 40, comforting words in the wake of the family tragedy.
Baena was found dead early Friday at a Los Angeles home, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office said, eventually ruling his passing a suicide by hanging.
‘No words can touch this painful time,’ Blair, 52, said in an Instagram comment thread adjacent to Plaza’s most recent post December 24.
Fox, 34, wrote in the thread, ‘Sending you so much love’ with an emoji of a dove.
Actress Alison Brie, 42, shared a series of images of Baena on her Instagram Stories, adding an emoji of a broken heart.
She also reposted a statement from actor-comedian Adam Pally, 42, a friend and collaborator of Baena’s who lauded him on a personal and professional level.
‘He was a collaborator, a mentor, the scrappiest basketball player with the ugliest jump shot you ever saw,’ said Pally. ‘He was a talented director with impeccable taste and vision, he was a connector of people, a fosterer of possibility, the guy who knows where the best restaurant was no matter where you were.
The statement comes after Plaza was forced to skip her presenting duties at last night’s 82nd annual Golden Globes in Los Angeles Sunday
The Brutalist filmmaker Brady Corbet, 36, in his Golden Globes acceptance speech Sunday, mentioned actress Aubrey Plaza, 40, following the tragic death by suicide of her spouse Jeff Baena at the age of 47
An emotional Adrien Brody, 51, held back tears in the audience during the filmmaker’s speech
‘An overly gracious host with an almost disturbing open door policy, a film encyclopedia, and most importantly to me a friend.’
Pally wrapped up in saying, ‘My heart breaks for my friend Aubrey and the Baena family and for all of us who spent time on his sets or at his house or in or in his orbit. Thanks for believing in me Jeff, may your memory be a blessing.’
On Plaza’s Instagram, actress-producer Barbara Crampton, 66, wrote to Plaza, ‘So sorry. I hope the love of others can hold you up.’
Actor-model Rain Dove, 35, wrote, ‘Aubrey we love You so much and it’s absolutely devastating to hear the news about Your beloved.
‘We truly wish You lots of protection in this time. Take all the space You need to process this. Don’t succumb to and pressure to return to work any sooner than feels right.’
Colleagues such as Julia Fox and Selma Blair were among the people to offer the actress-producer comforting words in the wake of the family tragedy
A number of other people in the entertainment industry offered Plaza kind words
Baena, a native of Miami, studied his craft at New York University prior to his career in entertainment. Speaking with podcaster Marc Maron in 2017, Baena cited Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 as highly-influential in his decision to pursue a career as a creative.
Baena in his career had directed five independent movies – with four of them debuting at Sundance – also including 2020’s Horse Girl and 2016’s Joshy. He was also at the helm for a 2021 episode of the TV series Cinema Toast.
In addition to writing all of his movies, he shared a writing credit with David O. Russell for the 2004 movie I Heart Huckabees. Also that year, he had uncredited writing on the motion picture Meet the Fockers.
Joshy, which featured Plaza and starred Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally and Alex Ross Perry, dealt with tragic topic matter, telling the story of a man recovering from the suicide of his fiancée with the help of friends.
Plaza, who played April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation from 2009–2015, has seen her career skyrocket in recent years since her Emmy-nominated turn on The White Lotus in 2023.
She has a number of upcoming projects in various phases; it was not immediately clear how the family tragedy would impact her forthcoming professional endeavors moving forward.
Baena is survived by Plaza; his mother, Barbara Stern, stepfather Roger Stern, father Scott Baena, stepmother Michele Baena, brother Brad Baena and stepsiblings Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman, his rep told the AP.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.