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Jeff Baena, the longtime partner of Ingrid Goes West actress Aubrey Plaza, tragically passed away on January 3, 2025. TMZ was the first to report the news on January 4. The filmmaker, whose credits include Plaza’s Life After Beth and I Heart Huckabees, was just 47 years old. A statement from the family, shared with Deadline on the same day of his death, said, “The family is devastated and asks for privacy at this difficult time.” On January 6, Plaza released a statement to PEOPLE, calling her late husband’s death an “unimaginable tragedy.”
Baena and Plaza had one of Hollywood’s longest and most private romances, which eventually led to a secret wedding. In honor of her late husband, Plaza wore a tie-dye shirt with special significance during her appearance on Saturday Night Live’s 50th Anniversary on February 16, 2025. In a December 2021 interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, she shared that they broke tradition by wearing tie-dye pajamas—made by Baena—for their wedding.
Amid the sad news, here’s what you should know about the relationship between The White Lotus actress and her husband.
When Did Aubrey Plaza & Jeff Baena Meet?
According to PEOPLE, Baena and Plaza met back in 2011, though little is known about their early relationship. A 2022 GQ profile of Plaza revealed some sweet details—they met over a game of Balderdash. In 2021, they appeared together for the last time on social media, with Plaza’s Instagram caption showcasing how proud she was of her accomplished husband. “So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that take us to Italia to cause some more trouble,” she wrote at the time.
How Long Were Aubrey Plaza & Jeff Baena Married?
According to GQ, the two tied the knot in a “quickie ceremony” in 2020, so the duo had been married almost five years and were together for 13 years. Her rep confirmed to PEOPLE after her May 2021 social media post referring to him as her “husband,” that she and Baena had married. “It’s so great, it’s so complicated,” she told host Drew Barrymore during a 2021 episode of her eponymous talk show. “It’s, like, extreme highs and extreme, you know, complications. It’s a really hard thing to navigate, but we’ve been together for 11 years. We just muscle our way through it.”
She also spoke of their time together during the COVID-19 pandemic, remembering it with warmth. “We were quarantined for months and months like everybody else,” she recalled to PEOPLE, also in 2021. “And we did enjoy it. I think it was, obviously other than all of the catastrophic things happening in the world, just on a personal level, relationship level, was kind of nice to just be forced to be in one place for that long.”
In her discussion with GQ, she reflected on the “peaks and valleys” of a longtime romance. “I’ve been with my husband for 12 years,” she told the outlet. “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.”
In March 2025, it was revealed that Baena had been separated from Plaza since September 2024, according to a report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner. A month later, Plaza reportedly received concerning messages from him, which led her to request a welfare check. Following the welfare check in October 2024, Baena began attending therapy. Plaza received her last text message from him on the day of his death, at 10:36 a.m. ET.
What Happened to Jeff Baena?
According to TMZ, Baena was found after police and fire personnel responded to a call from an assistant around 10:30 AM. Reports indicate that Baena’s body was discovered by his dog walker, who entered the residence and found him. The assistant had reportedly discovered Baena’s body before police and fire arrived to conduct a death investigation. Law enforcement later confirmed that he died by suicide.
What Did Jeff Baena Do For a Living?
Baena was an accomplished filmmaker, screenwriter, and director. Educated at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, he later relocated to Los Angeles to launch his career. He worked alongside Robert Zemeckis and David O. Russell, ultimately collaborating with Russell on I Heart Huckabees and Meet the Fockers in 2004. His filmmaking debut came a decade later with Life After Beth, which starred Plaza. The Little Hours and Horse Girl followed, and Spin Me Round would be his final film in 2022.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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