Aubrey Plaza is grieving the sudden loss of her husband, Jeff Baena.
Baena, a writer and director, passed away by suicide on January 3, 2025, at the age of 47, as confirmed by PEOPLE. A medical examiner’s report later revealed that Plaza and Baena had been separated when he died.
Plaza and Baena started dating in 2011 and secretly got married in 2021. In addition to being a married couple, they worked together on several projects, including the 2022 film Spin Me Round, which Baena wrote and directed, and Plaza starred in.
Plaza credited much of her success to the support of her husband and frequent collaborator.
“I think that when you’re with someone that is in your field, they understand what you’re dealing with on a deeper level. So obviously you are able to support each other and really understand kind of the journey that we’re both on,” Plaza told PEOPLE in 2019. She added that while “working with your partner can always be challenging,” it’s “all about balance.”
Here is what to know about Jeff Baena and his relationship with Aubrey Plaza, both personally and professionally.
He was a writer and director
Baena was a writer and director with over twelve credits to his name. He co-wrote the 2004 film I Heart Huckabees, which starred Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, and Naomi Watts. Soon after, he made his directorial debut with Life After Beth, a zombie comedy starring Plaza.
Baena shared his thoughts on directing in a 2014 interview with Seensome: “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.”
Baena also created Cinema Toast, an anthology series that aired on Showtime in 2021, marking Plaza’s directorial debut. His final project was Spin Me Round, a comedy film released in 2022, starring Plaza, Alison Brie, Debby Ryan, and Molly Shannon.
Who was Jeff Baena? Here’s everything about Aubrey Plaza’s late husband.He studied film at New York University
Baena was born and raised in Miami, where he was introduced to movies and culture at an early age, as he shared with Fast Company in a 2016 interview. He went to film school at New York University and moved to Los Angeles after graduating to start his career in entertainment.
Once in L.A., Baena found an apartment and began applying for assistant jobs. He worked with film directors Robert Zemeckis and David O. Russell before deciding to pursue his own projects.
A minor car accident helped shape his career
It took some time for Baena to find success in the competitive film industry. While working for Russell, Baena was involved in a minor car accident. Though he wasn’t seriously hurt, debris from the crash got into his eye, and he needed medical help.
As both directors shared with Fast Company, Russell helped Baena with the accident and they started talking. Through their discussions, they formed a partnership that moved Baena from being an assistant to becoming a screenwriter. Baena and Russell wrote a few scripts together, one of which was I Heart Huckabees.
In his interview with Seensome, Baena mentioned that Russell had a “tremendous influence” on his career.
He married Plaza in 2021
In 2011, Baena met and started dating Plaza. The couple kept their relationship private, and the public only found out that they had gotten married in May 2021 when Plaza referred to Baena as her “darling husband” in an Instagram post.
“So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to italia to cause some more trouble,” her caption said. A representative later confirmed that the couple had married.
Who was Jeff Baena? Here’s everything about Aubrey Plaza’s late husband.He and Plaza collaborated numerous times
Baena and Plaza worked together on many projects, including Life After Beth (2014), Joshy (2016), The Little Hours (2017), and Spin Me Round (2022).
“I’d say it’s an amazing experience to work with your partner in this way. I’ve worked with Jeff since his first movie. I’ve seen him evolve and I’ve seen him grow. It’s a really special dynamic that we have. It’s challenging at times but it’s also really rewarding to do something together like this,” Plaza told MovieFreak.com in 2017.
In an interview, Plaza shared that she and Baena created their 2021 TV series Cinema Toast during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our house became this strange post-production facility and he’s downstairs on his Zooms or on his sessions and I’m upstairs editing, we’re just going back and forth,” Plaza explained. “Yeah, it was very us. We were not baking sourdough bread, but we were sifting through hours of old movies and footage and re-cutting them together and just letting our minds go on a trip. So it was great.”
They kept their relationship private
Plaza and Baena worked hard to keep their personal lives away from the internet and out of the public’s attention.
Although Plaza is active on Instagram, she rarely posted pictures of her husband. However, on Valentine’s Day 2020, the actress shared a rare moment from their relationship. She posted a picture of herself holding a dagger up to Baena’s chin while looking up at him, with the simple caption, “and happy valentine’s day.”
In November 2022, Plaza briefly mentioned Baena during an interview with GQ.
“I’ve been with my husband for 12 years. I relate to being in a relationship that has peaks and valleys, and going through a rough patch and comparing yourself to another couple that seems perfect,” the actress said when talking about the things she and her White Lotus character, Harper, had in common.
He loved Italy, Italy held a special place in Baena’s heart. He talked about his love for the country in an interview with Deadline in March 2022.
“I shot a film there in 2016 called The Little Hours and had such an awesome time shooting there,” he told the outlet. “I learned the differences between shooting in America and Italy, and having been there I wanted to go back knowing what I know and do it again. It’s the only country I can think of where every time I go, I learn something new. It’s my all-time favorite country.”
Who was Jeff Baena? Here’s everything about Aubrey Plaza’s late husband.He died in January 2025
Baena died by suicide on January 3, 2025, as confirmed. He was 47 years old.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time,” Plaza said in a statement three days after her husband’s death.
TMZ was the first to report the news. Law enforcement sources told the outlet that an assistant found Baena’s body at a home in the Los Angeles area around 10:30 a.m. PT, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
In February 2025, Plaza paid tribute to her late husband at the SNL50: The Anniversary Special show by wearing a tie-dye shirt, similar to the tie-dye pajamas she and Baena wore on their wedding day.
He and Plaza separated in September 2024
The medical examiner’s report, which was released in March 2025, revealed that Baena and Plaza had been “experiencing marital difficulties” before the director’s death. The couple had officially separated in September 2024.
The report also mentioned that Baena made “concerning remarks” to Plaza in October 2024 that “prompted her to call a friend to perform a welfare check on her husband.” Plaza’s last communication with Baena was on the day of his death at 10:36 a.m. ET.