Aubrey Plaza makes first public appearance on ‘SNL50’ since husband Jeff Baena’s death
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Aubrey Plaza made her first public appearance since her husband, director Jeff Baena, died last month. The “Parks and Recreation” star appeared briefly on “SNL50” on Feb. 16 when she introduced a musical performance.
Plaza welcomed Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard to the “SNL” stage before the duo performed “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which was written by Prince and later recorded by Sinéad O’Connor.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard,” Plaza said, while holding a microphone as she stood in the audience with her back to the stage.
Plaza was wearing a blazer over a tie-dyed shirt. She previously spoke about her late husband’s interest in tie-dying, noting that the style was part of their outfits when they got married.
“Jeff got really into tie-dying during the quarantine, so I decided that Jeff and I were going to wear tie-dye pajamas that he had made for us,” Plaza said on “The Drew Barrymore Show” in 2021. “I made a love altar in the backyard of all of our love objects. It was very witchcore, but it happened.”
Plaza has not been seen in public since Baena died by suicide on Jan. 3.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support,” his family said in a statement following his death. “Please respect our privacy during this time.”
Baena co-wrote the 2004 movie “I Heart Huckabees,” created the 2021 Showtime anthology series “Cinema Toast” and directed the 2020 Netflix film “Horse Girl.”
He and Plaza also collaborated over the years on several projects including “Life After Beth,” “The Little Hours” and “Spin Me Round.”
When Brady Corbet won the Golden Globe Award for best director for “The Brutalist” on Jan. 5, he mentioned Baena and Plaza in his acceptance speech while honoring people he knew who recently died.
“And finally, tonight my heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff’s family. Goodnight,” Corbet said.
Plaza, who was famously an NBC page, previously hosted “SNL” in January 2023.
