Why Aubrey Plaza Confided in Amy Poehler About Her Grief After Jeff Baena's Death

Aubrey Plaza's decision to open her heart to Amy Poehler after the death of her husband, Jeff Baena, wasn't random. The actresses have been friends for almost a decade, since crossing paths on SNL (Saturday Night Live).

Aubrey Plaza first interned at SNL during the 2004–2005 season, working in the show's design department. She often describes herself humorously as a "creepy" intern who mostly lurked in the background and "did not care about set design at all."

At that time, Poehler was a prominent cast member on SNL, co-anchoring Weekend Update alongside Tina Fey from 2004 to 2008. While there's no public record of a specific moment when they formally met, it's most likely that they first crossed paths during Plaza's internship and Poehler's tenure as a Weekend Update anchor.

Since then, their friendship has only grown. Years later, when Poehler directed Parks and Recreation, Plaza was cast as the iconic April Ludgate, a role that would cement her reputation in comedy. The dynamic between Poehler's optimistic Leslie Knope and Plaza's deadpan April became one of the most memorable parts of the show, reflecting the real-life connection they had developed since those early SNL days.

Plaza had been virtually missing from the media since her husband was discovered dead in January 2025. Although the couple was separated, their relationship of more than a decade remained close, and the filmmaker committed suicide in their home in Los Angeles.

The star of shows like Parks and Recreation, The White Lotu,, and Agatha All Along decided to open her heart to her friend and colleague Amy Poehler, who welcomed her on her podcast, Good Hang.

'Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you. 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'.

'This is a really dumb analogy and it was kind of a joke at a certain point, but I actually mean it. Did you see that movie The Gorge? It's like [an] alien movie or something with Miles Teller...
'In the movie, there's like a cliff on one side and there's a cliff on the other side, then there's gorge in between and it's filled with all these like monster people that are trying to get them. I swear when I watched it...
'I was like that feels like what my grief is like ... or what grief could be like."
"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.'

So, it's no coincidence that Plaza decided to speak publicly in a space as safe as a conversation with Poehler, one of her best friends. The two stars have been partners throughout their journeys in Hollywood. In fact, it has been one of the pillars of her life during this period of mourning following Baena's suicide.

The death of Aubrey Plaza's husband

The Cuban-American filmmaker was discovered dead by his assistant on January 3rd, having been hanged. When police arrived on the scene, they were unable to revive him. Weeks later, it was learned that Baena and Plaza had been separated for several months and that the artist was living in New York City.

The investigation also revealed that Baena and Plaza had talked at length the night before the suicide.

Tags

Aubrey Plaza, Celebrity death, Suicide