Actress Aubrey Plaza has made a heartbreaking confession after admitting to having a ‘tragic’ year.
The comedy star recently opened up for the first time about how she is ‘functioning,’ after a ‘tragic’ moment in her life earlier this year.
“I feel really grateful to be moving through the world,” she said during an appearance on the Good Hang podcast, despite going on to make a heartbreaking confession.
“I think I’m okay, but it’s like a daily struggle, obviously.”
The host asked Plaza how she was doing after ‘a terrible, terrible, tragic year.’
The star opened up about the s**cide of her husband, director Jeff Baena, who died in January.
Baena directed Plaza in the comedies Life After Beth, and The Little Hours, after the two met in 2011 and married in 2021.
The director took his life at the age of 47 in their Los Angeles home.
The family released a statement calling it an ‘unimaginable tragedy.’
In the recent interview, Plaza used sci-fi horror film The Gorge as a ‘really dumb analogy’ to describe the aftermath of her husband’s death.
She noted: “In the movie, there’s a cliff on one side and a cliff on the other side and there’s a gorge in between and it’s filled with all these monster people that are trying to get them.
“I swear when I watched it, I was like, ‘That what this feels like, what my grief is like – or what grief could be like.’”
Plaza added: “At all times, there’s like a giant ocean of awfulness that’s like right there, and I can see it.
“And sometimes, I just want to dive into it and be in it.
“And then sometimes, I just look at it. And then sometimes, I’m just trying to get away from it.”
Detailing her grief, she noted: “But it’s always there. It’s just always there. And the monster people are trying to get me.”
Tributes flooded in from friends, co-stars, and fans alike, following his death.
Hollywood actor and comedian, Marc Maron, wrote: “Very sad about the tragic loss of a true artist and sweet guy.”
Sundance Film Festival, where Life After Beth premiered in 2014, wrote: “We extend our heartfelt thanks to Jeff Baena for sharing his stories and contributing to the lasting memories we’ve built together.
“Jeff, we’ll miss your wit, humour, and daring vision. Rest in peace, friend.”
Despite dealing with heavy grief for the majority of the year, Plaza told the interviewer: “Right in this very present moment, I feel happy to be with you.”
During the 2025 Golden Globes, held just two days after Baena’s death, director Brady Corbet shared his condolences with Plaza and the family while accepting the award for Best Director.
