Aubrey Plaza makes first public appearance since husband’s death at SNL50t special

2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards
Photo credit: depositphotos.com

Aubrey Plaza made an unexpected first public appearance on SNL50 Sunday night (fFeb. 16, 202) since the tragic passing of her husband.

The 40-year-old actress emerged briefly to present Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard, who performed a rendition of โ€œNothing Compares 2 U.โ€

Though visibly subdued, Plaza maintained composure. Her attire choice โ€” a tie-dyed shirt beneath a blazer โ€” potentially referenced her late husband, according to Us Weekly.

โ€œWe got married on a whim. Literally decided around 5 p.m. [and] got married at 8:30,โ€ she said on a 2021 visit to The Drew Barrymore Show. โ€œJeff got really into tie-dying during the quarantine, so I decided that Jeff and I were going to wear tie-dye pajamas that he had made for us.โ€

Her spouse and creative collaborator Jeff Baena died by suicide on January 3 at age 47.

The 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival Screening of The Little Hours
Aubrey Plaza and Jeff Baena at the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival Screening of โ€œThe Little Hoursโ€ at The Arclight Cinemas Culver City, California on June 19, 2017. PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com

Shortly after, Aubrey released a statement saying, โ€œThis is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.โ€

She opted to skip presenting at the Golden Globes, where Jeff received acknowledgment in The Brutalist director Brady Corbetโ€˜s acceptance speech after claiming the Best Director award at the glamorous event.

Brady concluded his victory speech by stating, โ€œTonight my heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeffโ€™s family.โ€

USA - 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards - Santa Monica
Aubrey Plaza at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards at the Tent on the Beach on March 4, 2023 in Santa Monica, CA. Photo credit: depositphotos.com

Plaza and Baenaโ€™s relationship began in 2011, though she maintained their personal life away from media attention.

She confirmed their marriage via a 2021 Instagram post about their film Spin Me Round, writing, โ€œSo proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to italia to cause some more trouble ๐Ÿ˜ˆ excited to be reunited with the amazing @alisonbrie (who also co-wrote this one!) and @theofficialsuperstar @sordociego @lauren_weedman and so many more fun people in this. Preparati!! ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น โค๏ธ.โ€


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