Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Ekin Karasin

Aubrey Plaza honours late husband Jeff Baena at SNL 50 special after his death

Aubrey Plaza honoured her late husband Jeff Baena while making a surprise appearance on the 50th anniversary celebration of Saturday Night Live.

Baena died on January 3 at the age of 47, with the Los Angeles County medical examiner concluding he took his own life.

The actress and comedian, 40, described his death as “an unimaginable tragedy” last month.

Plaza, who previously hosted SNL in 2023, appeared on Sunday’s three-hour anniversary special to introduce musical guests Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard, who performed a cover of Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U.

The Parks and Recreation star paid tribute to Baena by wearing a tie-dye T-shirt under her black blazer, having previously shared his love for tie-dye and the fact that they wore his designs to their 2020 wedding.

During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2021, Plaza revealed they wore tie-dye pajamas Baena had made for their impromptu lockdown nuptials at home.

The actress wore a blue and pink tie-dye shirt under a black blazer (NBC)

Baena worked with Plaza on 2014 horror film Life After Beth and 2017 historical comedy The Little Hours.

They had been in a relationship since about 2011 and married a decade later.

Baena wrote 2020 thriller Horse Girl, starring Alison Brie, and 2022 dark comedy Spin Me Round, both of which he also directed, as well as 2004 comedy I Heart Huckabees starring Jude Law, Jason Schwartzman, Dustin Hoffman and Mark Wahlberg.

He also created the anthology comedy series Cinema Toast, which had an episode directed by Plaza and another starring Community actress Brie.

The SNL special celebrated 50 years of the hit US sketch show, which began in 1975.

Plaza and Baena wore his homemade tie-dye pajamas at their 2020 lockdown wedding

A wealth of former cast members and celebrities were in attendance for the show, including Steve Martin, John Mulaney, Amy Poehler, Scarlett Johansson and Jack Nicholson.

Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively were also shown on-screen, amid the couple’s legal battle with Lively’s It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni.

Singers Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter opened the show with a duet of Simon and George Harrison’s 1990 hit Homeward Bound, while Sir Paul McCartney closed the show with a medley of songs from The Beatles’ Abbey Road album.

Samaritans run a helpline which is open day and night, 365 days a year, on 116 123. It can also be emailed at jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.