Aubrey Plaza has made her first public appearance since the death of her husband, director Jeff Baena, who passed on January 3 at the age of 47.
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The actor was on camera for Saturday Night Live’s 50th Anniversary celebration, titled SNL50: The Anniversary Special, which aired on Sunday (February 16). She introduced musical performers Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard, who sang a cover of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’.
Baena, best known for directing the films Life After Beth and The Little Hours, both of which starred Plaza, was found dead at a Los Angeles residence. A cause of death was not shared at the time, but a medical examiner later ruled that he died by suicide.
Plaza and Baena had been in a relationship since 2011, marrying at a private ceremony at their home in 2021. On January 6, Plaza and Baena’s family released a statement regarding his death, which read: “This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time”.
Aubrey Plaza made a surprise appearance at #SNL50 to introduce Miley Cyrus & Brittany Howard as musical guests. pic.twitter.com/em9XWQohW7
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 17, 2025
Plaza would later delete her Instagram account in the wake of the loss, and Sunday’s celebration of the US sketch show was her first public appearance.
Brady Corbet, the director of The Brutalist, mentioned the star after winning an award at The Golden Globes on January 5. He concluded his acceptance speech with: “Tonight, my heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff’s family.” The condolences were met with a warm round of applause from those assembled.
Other musical guests on the three-hour SNL50 celebration included Sabrina Carpenter and Paul Simon, who performed the latter’s hit ‘Homeward Bound’. Paul McCartney also sang a medley from The Beatles’ album ‘Abbey Road’.
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The post Aubrey Plaza makes first appearance since husband’s death at ‘SNL50’ appeared first on NME.
