Devastated Aubrey Plaza Wears T-Shirt as 'Tribute' to Late Husband Jeff Baena As She Makes First Public Appearance On 'SNL' Since His Tragic Death
Aubrey Plaza honored her late husband Jeff Baena during the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special.
Feb. 17 2025, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Aubrey Plaza broke hearts with a tribute to her late husband Jeff Baena at her first public appearance since his death.
The actress surprisingly showed up to the SNL50: The Anniversary Special on Sunday night, where she seemingly nodded to Baena by wearing a tie-dye shirt during her brief moment on camera, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Plaza lost her husband and partner of over a decade to suicide in early January.
Plaza, 40, lost her husband to suicide on January 3. The couple was together for over a decade, and the White Lotus star has yet to show face at any public event since.
But on Sunday, Plaza shocked fans as she introduced musical guests Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard during the star-studded event – especially as she opted out of the red carpet beforehand.
The actress seemingly nodded to Baena with her tie-dye T-shirt, which was what they wore to their wedding.
The comedian was spotted wearing black pants, a matching blazer, and a tie-dye T-shirt underneath, which seemed to honor her departed husband.
Plaza previously shared she and Baena wore matching pajamas – which he tie-dyed himself – when they got married in 2020.
The actress, a former intern for SNL who last hosted the long-running sketch comedy series in January 2023, had fans in tears over her cameo in the special.
One person tweeted: "Aubrey Plaza made it to SNL 50 :') I hope she's okay."
A second said: "I am so glad Aubrey Plaza was able to make it, but you can tell how much she's hurting through her eyes."
Another posted: "Aubrey Plaza just quickly letting us know she's doing okay at #SNL50 has me sobbing."
Plaza's public outing comes six weeks after her husband tragically took his own life at the age of 47.
Baena was pronounced dead on the scene after his body was found by an assistant at his and Plaza's Los Angeles home.
Three days after his death, Plaza broke her silence with a joint statement alongside their family.
It read: "This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support.
"Please respect our privacy during this time."
The actress also shut down her Instagram account following the tragedy.
That same week, Plaza was set to present an award at the 2025 Golden Globes on January 5 but withdrew following her husband's death.
Other A-listers at the event still shared their condolences for the actress' loss, including The Brutalist director Brady Corbet – who shared a tribute in his acceptance speech for Best Director.
Plaza made her first public appearance at SNL50 since her husband's sudden passing.
At the end of his speech, Corbet said: "Finally, tonight my heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff's family. Good night."
Plaza and Baena, who did not share any children, secretly married in 2020 after dating for over a decade.
Throughout their relationship, they worked on multiple projects together, including Spin Me Round, Life After Beth and The Little Hours.
Years before his death, Baena teamed up with Alison Brie to co-write the film Horse Girl about mental health struggles in their families.
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Baena was pronounced dead after his body was found at his and Plaza's Los Angeles home.
"Alison and I both have had family members who have had mental illness, and it was a major influence on working on this," he said ahead of the movie's 2020 release.
Plaza also starred in a heartbreaking film about the love of her life dying just months before Baena's passing.
A scene from the movie has been widely shared on TikTok in the wake of Baena's death, which sees Plaza's character mourn the loss of her lover "Chad"– sparking users to comment on the similarity to her off-screen life.
