In a culture that often encourages us to move past pain quickly, actress Aubrey Plaza has offered a different, more honest perspective. During a recent episode of Amy Poehler's podcast Good Hang, Plaza spoke with raw vulnerability about her ongoing journey through grief following the death of her husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena.
The conversation began with Poehler, Plaza's former Parks and Recreation co-star and longtime friend, asking a simple yet profound question: "How are you feeling today?" Plaza's response set the tone for a discussion that was both heartbreaking and deeply human. "In this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you," she replied. "I think, like, I'm OK. But you know, it's like a daily struggle."
A Partnership in Life and Art
Jeff Baena, who passed away in January at age 47, was a respected director and screenwriter known for co-writing I Heart Huckabees. His creative partnership with Plaza was both professional and personal. The couple, who began their relationship in 2011 and married in 2021, collaborated on several projects, including the horror-comedy Life After Beth and the dark comedy Spin Me Round.
Plaza's openness about her loss comes at a time when public figures are increasingly using their platforms to discuss mental health and emotional well-being. Her willingness to share such a personal struggle resonates within Latino communities, where conversations about grief and mental health are becoming more common, yet still often carry cultural stigmas.
Grief as a Cinematic Landscape
Perhaps the most striking moment of the conversation came when Plaza used a powerful metaphor from cinema to articulate her experience. She referenced the 2025 thriller The Gorge, starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy, which features characters guarding opposite sides of a monster-filled chasm.
"I swear, when I watched it, I was like, 'That feels like what my grief is like,'" Plaza explained. "Where it's like, at all times, there's a giant ocean of just awfulness that's, like, right there, and I can see it. And like, sometimes, I just want to just dive into it and just be in it. And then sometimes, I just look at it. And then sometimes, I'm like, I just try to get away from it, but it's always there."
This vivid description captures the non-linear, persistent nature of grief—a reality that many who have experienced profound loss will recognize. It challenges the notion of "getting over" grief and instead presents it as a landscape one learns to navigate.
Finding Gratitude Amidst the Pain
Despite the weight of her loss, Plaza emphasized that she actively seeks moments of light. "I feel, overall, I'm here and I'm functioning—and I feel, you know, like I feel really grateful to be moving through the world," she told Poehler. This balance between acknowledging deep pain and recognizing small graces reflects a resilience that feels particularly relevant.
For a bicultural audience familiar with navigating complex emotional terrains—whether between countries, languages, or identities—Plaza's testimony underscores that strength often lies in vulnerability. Her story connects to broader conversations about wellness, like the importance of safeguarding our emotional data or the practical considerations of planning for stability during life's transitions.
Plaza's interview moves beyond celebrity gossip into a genuine cultural moment about how we process loss. In an entertainment landscape where Latin artists like Rosalía are celebrated for their artistic evolution, and figures like Feid openly display emotion on stage, Plaza's candor fits within a growing movement toward emotional authenticity.
Her words serve as a reminder that grief, in all its forms, is a universal human experience. By sharing her "daily struggle" with such clarity and courage, Aubrey Plaza has offered a valuable lesson: that healing is not about leaving loss behind, but about learning to carry it while still finding reasons to feel "happy to be with you" in the present moment.
