Celebrities are speaking out and voicing their heartbreak and support for Aubrey Plaza following the untimely passing of her husband, Jeff Baena.
“No words can touch this painful time,” actress Selma Blair wrote on Plaza’s most recent Instagram post on Saturday, January 4. “Only love and strength and support from everyone. I am so sorry.”
Actress Julia Fox also shared her condolences in the comments section, writing, “Sending you so much love” and sharing a dove emoji.
Meanwhile, Alison Brie, who worked with Baena and Plaza on various projects, posted a series of photos on her Instagram Stories on Sunday, January 5, featuring the late filmmaker. She posted a broken heart emoji on the first photograph, featuring the pair posing for the camera.
The indie screenwriter and film director was found dead on Friday, January 3, according to medical examiner records reviewed by Us Weekly. The cause of death was listed as suicide, according to the same records, and a medical examination was conducted. No other special circumstances or causes of death were listed. Deadline and TMZ were the first to report the news of Baena’s passing.
Plaza, 40, first met Baena in 2011. Though the pair kept their relationship relatively private, the Parks and Recreation actress confirmed they tied the knot in 2020 during COVID-19 lockdown.
Aubrey Plaza and Late Husband Jeff Baena’s Relationship Timeline
“We got a little bored one night,” Plaza recalled on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in December 2021. “We got married and I’ll tell you how: Onehourmarriage.com. That’s real, look it up.”
Best known for co-writing the 2004 film I Heart Huckabees, which was nominated for a 2004 Gotham Award for Best Feature, Baena also worked with Plaza on Life After Beth, the 2014 horror/comedy that served as his directorial debut.
“She’s awesome. I’d be working with her if she wasn’t my wife, but luckily she is my wife,” Baena told Reel Talker in August 2022. “The opportunity to do something creative [together] where we’re both fulfilled — how rare is that?”
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While Plaza has yet to publicly comment on her husband’s passing, other Hollywood A-listers and celebrities are speaking out in support of the actress during such a terrible time and in the wake of such a profound loss. Here are just a few who have given their public condolences and reflected on the life and legacy of Baena.
Adam Pally
The comedian and actor shared a touching tribute to Baena via an Instagram post shared on Sunday, January 5. In addition to sharing photos of the late filmmaker, Pally wrote a heartfelt message offering his condolences to his friend, Plaza.
“Jeff Baena was a sweet Jewish boy from Miami. He was a collaborator, a mentor, the scrappiest basketball player with the ugliest jump shot you ever saw. He was a talented director with impeccable taste and vision, he was a connector of people, a fosterer of possibility, the guy who knows where the best restaurant was no matter where you were,” Pally wrote in a screenshot shared via the same Instagram post.
“An overly gracious host with an almost disturbing open door policy, a film encyclopedia, and most important to me a friend,” he continued in the statement. “As a director Jeff strove for the truth. Nothing could sound, look or feel inauthentic, and that is a direct representation of who Jeff was. Authentic. You never worried that Jeff wasn’t telling you the way it is. Cause Jeff’s virtue was telling you the way it was. My heart breaks for my friend Aubrey and the Baena family and for all of us who spent time on his sets or at his house or in his orbit. Thanks for believing in me, Jeff, may your memory be a blessing.”
Selma Blair
Shortly after news broke of Baena’s passing, the Cruel Intentions star made a touching comment on Plaza’s most recent Instagram post.
“No words can touch this painful time,” she wrote at the time. “Only love and strength and support from everyone. I am so sorry.”
Molly Shannon
The Saturday Night Live alum posted a carousel of photos featuring Breana on her Instagram, tagging the late screenwriter and posting a broken heart emoji. Plaza was featured in several of the images, including a photo of Shannon and The White Lotus star posing for the camera and Plaza sitting beside her late husband.
Brie, actress Olivia Munn, and other celebrities posted broken emojis (including a heart and a broken heart emoji) in the comments section of Shannon’s post.
Julia Fox
The actress and fashion influencer posted a short but sweet message to Plaza’s latest Instagram post, writing, “Sending you so much love” and posting a dove emoji.
Alison Brie
Brie worked on various projects alongside Plaza and her late husband, including the film Joshy.
“Jeff [came] to the set of Community in our sixth season and asked me to play a small role in his film, Joshy,” Brie recalled of working with Baena during a 2022 interview with Collider. “There was no script for that. All of his films that I’ve been involved with, prior to this one, were fully improvised. So, he came to my dressing [room]. We set a meeting, and he came to meet me. … I knew a lot of the cast members in that movie. Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate and Adam Pally were friends of mine. I just thought, “Yeah, that sounds fun to do.” It was one day. I’m in two scenes in that movie. I thought the story was cool. And then, it just grew from there.”
On Sunday, January 5, Brie shared a series of photographs to her Instagram Stories featuring the late filmmaker, including photos of the two posing for the camera. On the first photograph, she posted a broken heart emoji.
Debby Ryan
The actress took to Instagram on June 29, six months after Baena’s death, to share an emotional tribute to her late friend and professional collaborator. The post was uploaded on what would have been Baena’s 48th birthday.
“Happy birthday Jeff 
Bear with me, I’ve never been a public griever, and have a hard time sharing fragile feelings with strangers. Meanwhile I’ve thought about him every day for the past six months,” Ryan captioned a carousel of images that charted their friendship. “Months of discoveries of the things he left behind; and the gifts he continues to give me and those who he shone his light on. Thanks for all of it, Jeff. Love you dude. and happy birthday.”
