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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988.
Aubrey Plaza is opening up about navigating life after the tragic loss of her husband.
“The White Lotus” star spoke candidly about grief following the death of her late husband and director Jeff Baena, who died by suicide earlier this year at the age of 47.
During a recent episode of “Good Hang,” hosted by her longtime friend Amy Poehler, the host asked Plaza, 41, how she’s coping with the unimaginable loss.
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Baena and Plaza were private about their relationship. (David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
“You’ve had this terrible, terrible, tragic year,” Poehler, 53, began. “You lost your husband, you’ve been dealing with that and you’ve been looking for all different ways in which to feel and find support.”
Poehler, who starred alongside the actress in “Parks and Recreation” from 2009 to 2015, noted that Plaza’s beloved dog Frankie had stepped in as a source of comfort.
“Frankie’s like your therapy dog now,” Poehler added. “On behalf of all the people who feel like they know you, and the people who do know you — how are you feeling today?”
“White Lotus” star Aubrey Plaza shares an emotional update on her daily struggle with grief following husband Jeff Baena’s death by suicide. (Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
Plaza emotionally responded, “Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you,” she said. “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.”
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The “Honey, Don’t” star has mostly kept private in the months following Baena’s death in early January. Three days after his death, she broke her silence in a heartfelt Instagram tribute.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy,” she, along with the Baena/Stern family, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”
Aubrey Plaza’s husband, writer and director Jeff Baena, died by suicide on Jan. 3 at the age of 47. (Mark Davis/Getty Images for Sundance NEXT/ Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb)
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Meanwhile, Plaza compared her grief on the podcast to the plot of “The Gorge,” a 2025 sci-fi action movie starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy.
“This is a really dumb analogy and it was kind of a joke at a certain point, but I actually mean it,” Plaza told Poehler. “Did you see that movie ‘The Gorge?’”
“In the movie, there’s a cliff on one side and a cliff on the other side, then there’s a gorge in between and it’s filled with all these monster people that are trying to get them,” she explained.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed authorities responded to a call near Baena’s residence at the time. (J. Countess/Getty Images)
“I swear when I watched it, I was like that feels like what my grief is like… or what grief could be like,” Plaza said. “At all times, there’s like a giant ocean of awfulness, that’s like right there and I can see it.”
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“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.”
Baena died on Jan. 3 at his home, according to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed authorities responded to a call near Baena’s residence. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, officials told Fox News Digital at the time.
Baena and Plaza were private about their relationship after meeting in 2011. It is unclear when the two married, but Plaza confirmed the couple’s marriage status in 2021 with an Instagram post.
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