American actress Aubrey Plaza has offered one of her most candid reflections yet on grief following the tragic death of her husband, director Jeff Baena, who died by suicide in January at age 47. In an emotional interview on Amy Poehler’s podcast Good Hang, Plaza described mourning as a constant, overwhelming presence—“a giant ocean of awfulness”—that she sometimes wants to sink into and at other times tries to escape.
Through her raw honesty, Plaza conveyed the daily toll of loss. While she acknowledged moments of gratitude and functioning, she also admitted that navigating each day is a struggle. The metaphor she used—drawing from the horror-tinged imagery in the film The Gorge, where a gorge filled with “monster people” looms between cliffs—powerfully illustrates the relentless weight of sorrow that shadows her life.
This appearance marked one of Plaza’s first extended public statements on her grief since Baena’s death. The couple had quietly separated in September 2024, prior to his passing. In the months that followed, Plaza largely retreated from the public eye. Her appearance on the podcast comes alongside her ongoing promotion of her latest film, Honey Don’t!, directed by Ethan Coen.
Her vulnerability underscores the importance of human connection in the healing process—even for individuals in the public eye. By speaking so openly, Plaza brings visibility to the enduring and complex nature of grief, reminding us of the emotional toll that cannot always be measured in words.
