Aubrey Plaza likens grief to 'ocean of awful' after husband's suicide

Aubrey Plaza has detailed her grief in her first interview since her husband Jeff Baena's tragic death earlier this year. 

The filmmaker, who Aubrey married in 2021, died by suicide aged 47 in January, after which it was revealed they had split four months before his death.

Appearing on her friend Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast, Amy said: 'Just to get it out the way, people want to see you and want to see how you are, they love you. You've had this terrible, terrible, tragic year...

'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.'

When Amy asked how she was feeling, Aubrey stated: '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'.

She went on: '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.'

The Gorge is a 2025 movie starring Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Sigourney Weaver, with a synopsis listed as: 'Two highly-trained operatives are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge...

'Protecting the world from a mysterious evil that lurks within. They work together to keep the secret in the gorge.'

Her chat with Amy is her first discussion of her grief, having made a brief comment about his passing shortly after, saying through a representative: 'This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support...

'Please respect our privacy during this time."

In March, it was revealed that Aubrey had secretly split from Jeff just four months before his shock suicide at 47 after parting ways in September last year.

An LA County Medical Examiner's autopsy report obtained by DailyMail.com revealed that the filmmaker and actress had separated back in September of last year, and she had been living in New York at the time his body was discovered on January 3. 

The report detailed how the Life After Beth director had been 'experiencing marital difficulties' in his final months and how he had been in therapy.

An investigator noted in the documents that Aubrey, whose name was redacted in the final report, said she had spoken with Jeff the night before his death.

The report also tragically revealed that Aubrey had been concerned for her estranged husband's wellbeing.

The paperwork said: 'In October 2024, Baena made concerning remarks to [Plaza] which prompted her to call a friend to perform a welfare check on her husband. Baena had been attending therapy since that event.'

The medical examiner's report also determined that Baena did not have drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of his death.

It stated that Aubrey 'knew her husband to be alive' as of January 3 because he had sent her a text message that morning.

The report indicated that a dog walker discovered his body after hearing loud music coming from his home, which she said was 'unusual.'

After she called him and didn't get an answer, she entered the home and discovered his remains.

Shortly after his death, a representative for Plaza said in a statement obtained by DailyMail.com: 'This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.'