‘Unimaginable’: White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza breaks silence over husband’s death

Aubrey Plaza has spoken out for the first time following the sudden death of her husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena, at the age of 47. Warning: Graphic

Aubrey Plaza has spoken out for the first time following the shock death of her husband Jeff Baena at the age of 47.

“This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time,” Plaza, along with Baena’s family, said in a statement to Page Six.

Writer and director Jeff Baena, the husband of Aubrey Plaza, has tragically died. Picture: Getty Images

Just days before his death, Plaza, who starred in The White Lotus, was spotted at the New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden with openly gay comedian Jerrod Carmichael.

The pair laughed and smiled together as they watched the basketball from the front row.

US actress Aubrey Plaza poses during a photocall for the film Megalopolis at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, on May 17, 2024. Picture: AFP

It came as Plaza cancelled her appearance as a presenter at the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards.

It was unclear who filled in for Plaza onstage at the ceremony as she withdrew from attending amid the family tragedy, TMZ reported.

Director Brady Corbet gave a heartfelt shout-out to Plaza and her husband’s family from the stage after winning the award for best director.

Brady Corbet, winner of the Best Director - Motion Picture award for The Brutalist, mentioned Audrey Plaza in his acceptance speech. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

In his acceptance speech, The Brutalist director said: “Finally, tonight my heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff’s family.”

Adam Pally, The Mindy Project star and lead in Baena’s 2016 directorial feature, Joshy, also paid tribute to the filmmaker.

“Jeff Baena was a sweet Jewish boy from Miami,” he wrote. “He was a collaborator, a mentor, the scrappiest basketball player with the ugliest jump shot you ever saw.

“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.

“An overly gracious host with an almost disturbing open door policy, a film encyclopedia, and most importantly to me, a friend.”

‘BROKEN’: BROTHER SPEAKS OUT

Meanwhile, Baena’s brother Brad commented on social media, writing “I am broken” on a post shared by one of Baena’s friends.

A spokesperson for the family told British newspaper The Mirror they were devastated and requested time to grieve privately.

Aubrey Plaza shot to fame as April Ludgate, pictured alongside Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt in an episode of Parks and Recreation. Picture: Colleen Hayes/NBC

Plaza, who is best known for her roles in Parks and Recreation, Dirty Grandpa and The White Lotus, dated Baena for a decade before the pair wed in 2021.

The couple kept their engagement and marriage a secret before the actress nodded to her “darling husband” and said she was “proud” of him in a touching Instagram post.

Baena and Plaza, known for her roles in Parks and Recreation and Dirty Grandpa, kept their engagement and marriage a secret before Plaza described him as her “darling husband” in a touching Instagram post.

Jenna Ortega and Aubrey Plaza at the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on February 26, 2023 in LA. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Hollywood studio Searchlight Pictures posted a moving tribute to the esteemed artist.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Jeff Baena (1977-2025), a beloved member of the Searchlight family,” the studio said in a statement. “His creativity and passion will be missed by us all.”

Comedian Marc Maron posted on X that Baena was “a true artist and sweet guy.”

Molly Shannon, who worked with Baena, shared a series of photos with him to her social media, accompanied by a broken heart emoji.

Alison Brie, who starred in several of Baena’s films and was his writing partner, posted several pics of herself with him on her Instagram Stories, adding a broken heart emoji.

“No words can touch this painful time,” wrote actress Selma Blair.

“Only love and strength and support from everyone. I am so sorry.”

Born and raised in Miami, Baena attended New York University’s Tisch Film School.

The independent filmmaker was found dead at his Los Angeles home. Picture: Getty Images

He is known for co-writing the acclaimed 2004 film I Heart Huckabees, which featured Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin.

Baena and Plaza collaborated on several projects over the years, including 2014’s horror-comedy Life After Beth, which is when he made his mark as a director.

“It’s all I ever want to do; it felt really comfortable and fun. I’ve been a writer for twelve years now and it was always a means to an end, I never wanted to be a writer, I wanted to be a director so this was always my intention and it felt right,” he told Seensome in 2014.

The couple also worked together on the 2017 historical comedy The Little Hours and more recently on the 2021 comedy series Cinema Toast, and the 2022 film Spin Me Round.

Jeff Baena and Aubrey Plaza worked together before and after their marriage. Picture: Getty Images

Plaza previously told The Ellen DeGeneres Show they were living together during lockdown when they realised it was their 10th anniversary and decided to get married.

She joked she found a website called “onehourmarriage.com” and while the officient came to their home, Baena went to get food while Plaza spoke to their neighbour.

“Then the man [from the website] showed up in a Hawaiian shirt with a briefcase. I can’t remember a lot of it, it was fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure it’s legal,” she said.

Baena is survived by his wife, parents, step-parents, brother and two step siblings.

Originally published as ‘Unimaginable’: White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza breaks silence over husband’s death