In a deeply personal conversation on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast, actress Aubrey Plaza opened up about how she has been coping with the grief following the death of her husband, Jeff Baena, by suicide on January 3rd of this year. He was 47 years old.

To try to explain the complexity of her pain, Plaza used an analogy from the science fiction film The Gorge (2025). She described the feeling of grief as a constant, threatening abyss.

“There's a giant ocean of awful things that is always there, and I can see it,” explained Plaza. “And sometimes, I just want to dive into it... and just be in it. And other times, I just look at it. And there are times when I try to run away from it. But it is always present.”

The question was initiated by Amy Poehler, her former Parks and Recreation co-star, who approached the subject with care: “You've had a terrible, tragic year. You lost your husband... On behalf of all the people who feel like they know you, how are you feeling today?”

Plaza replied that, in that moment, she felt happy to be with her friend and grateful to be moving forward. “I think I'm okay, but of course, it's a daily struggle,” she admitted.

(Mark Davis/Getty Images for Sundance NEXT)

Plaza's sincerity deeply touched the public. On social media, many fans who have experienced similar losses thanked her for her honesty, finding solace in her words. A YouTube comment highlighted: “The vulnerability Aubrey shows is incredible... Discussions about grief honestly help me with my own.”

Plaza and Baena, a writer and director with whom she frequently collaborated, began dating in 2011. The public only learned the couple had secretly married in 2021 when she referred to him as her “darling husband” in an Instagram post.

In a 2020 interview, the Ingrid Goes West actress had already reflected on what truly matters, saying: “Before you die, you don't think about the movies. You think about the people in your life and your relationships.”