Aubrey Plaza Honors Late Husband Jeff Baena on ‘SNL50’ in First Public Appearance at Since His Death
Aubrey Plaza made her first public appearance since the death of her husband, Jeff Baena, on Saturday Night Live‘s 50th anniversary special.
During the special, which aired Sunday night on NBC, Plaza, who was once an intern on SNL, briefly appeared to introduce musical guests Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard. However, it was what Plaza was wearing that caught the attention of fans. Along with her dress pants and a blazer, Plaza wore a tie-dye shirt, which served as a tribute to her late husband. The reason the tie-dye shirt was so notable was due to Plaza’s previous comments about how the couple wore tie-dye for their spontaneous nuptials.
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During a 2021 interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, Plaza had said that the two “got married on a whim” and that tie-dyeing was a hobby Baena grew interested in during the pandemic.
“Jeff got really into tie-dyeing during the quarantine, so I decided that Jeff and I were going to wear tie-dye pajamas that he had made for us,” she said at the time.
Plaza’s appearance on the special marks her first since Baena was announced to have died by suicide on Jan. 4. The indie film writer-director was found in his Los Angeles home, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. He was 47.
Two days after his death, Plaza and the family of her late husband shared a brief statement. “This is an unimaginable tragedy,” the statement read. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”
Prior to the SNL anniversary special, Plaza was originally slated to present at the Golden Globes, but missed the Jan. 5 awards show after Baena’s death. She appeared in a Super Bowl commercial for Ritz crackers earlier this month, but that was reportedly filmed before Baena’s death.
Plaza began dating Baena in 2011 and the two collaborated on five films together including The End of Love (2012), The Little Hours (2017) and Spin Me Round (2022). Plaza also starred in Baena’s directorial debut, Life After Beth (2014), which he also wrote. Spin Me Round was Baena’s final film.
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