Aubrey Plaza has given her first long-form interview since the passing of her husband, Jeff Baena, in January.
Plaza appeared on the podcast Good Hang with her friend and Parks and Recreation co-star, Amy Poehler. While the two touched on a number of subjects, from Aubrey’s new film, Honey Don’t!, to their time on the hit sit-com, it was Plaza’s poignant description of her grief that struck a chord with listeners.
Plaza, 41, and Baena, 47, had been together for more than a decade before his tragic passing on January 3, 2025. The two had allegedly separated a few months before his death, with Plaza residing in New York and Baena in Los Angeles. Baena was pronounced dead at his home, where he was discovered by his dog walker.
What Did Aubrey Plaza Say About Grief?
Aubrey described grief as an ever-present ocean. Her words were: “At all times, there’s, like, a giant ocean of awfulness that’s right there, and I can see it. And sometimes I just want to dive into it, and just be in it. And then sometimes I just look at it, and sometimes I just try to get away from it. But it’s always there.”
She also described it like the film The Gorge. “In the movie, there’s a cliff on one side, and then there’s a cliff on the other side, and then there’s a gorge in between, and it’s filled with all these, like, monster people that are trying to get them,” she began. “And, I swear, when I watched it, I was like, ‘that is what my grief feels like.”
Plaza’s comments were memed by journalist and popular entertainment commentator, Evan Ross-Katz, who has also been vocal about the grieving process following the death of his father in 2023.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Nothing heals the heart like hearing people talk about their grief journey. Incredibly grateful to Aubrey Plaza for sharing this, and to Amy Poehler for shepherding the conversation,” he wrote on Instagram.
The comments section echoed Katz’s sentiments, with one commentator even describing Aubrey’s words as “the most accurate description I’ve come across.”
Within 10 hours of its appearance, the carousel posts of quotes from the Good Hang episode had racked up nearly 70,000 likes.
You can listen to Aubrey Plaza’s episode of Good Hang With Amy Poehler, here.
