Jeff Baena, a talented writer, director, and husband of actress Aubrey Plaza, sadly passed away at 47 in his Los Angeles home on January 3, 2025. Authorities confirmed it was a suicide by hanging after his assistant found him around 10:30 a.m.
Neither Baena’s nor Plaza’s reps have commented yet. The news has left Hollywood in shock, especially since Baena was such a huge name in indie film and often worked closely with Plaza during their 13-year relationship.
Aubrey Plaza’s Husband, Jeff Baena, Commits Suicide, At 47
Jeff Baena, filmmaker and husband of Aubrey Plaza, shared a private, collaborative relationship with her since 2011. Tragically, his cause of death has been revealed as suicide on January 3, 2025, at 47. The couple had married in 2021 following a spontaneous backyard ceremony on their 10th anniversary.
Born in 1977 in Miami, Florida, Baena found his love for filmmaking pretty early on. It pushed him to study at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. After finishing up there, he headed to LA to jumpstart his career in the entertainment world.
In his early days, he worked as a production assistant on major projects like Robert Zemeckis’ ‘Cast Away’ and ‘What Lies Beneath.’ Later, he teamed up with filmmaker David O. Russell as an assistant editor and even co-wrote the 2004 movie ‘I Heart Huckabees’ with him. The quirky, existential comedy featuring stars, notably Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, and Naomi Watts, helped define Baena’s unique storytelling style.
Baena made a name for himself as a director in 2014 with ‘Life After Beth,’ a zombie comedy that was his first time teaming up with Plaza. The movie, featuring Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Anna Kendrick, and Plaza, tackled love, loss, and absurdity in a super fresh way. It also kicked off Baena and Plaza’s creative partnership, which only grew stronger over the years. Then in 2017, Baena directed ‘The Little Hours,’ a medieval black comedy loosely based on ‘The Decameron’ by Boccaccio. Starring Plaza, Alison Brie, Dave Franco, and Fred Armisen, the film received a lot of love for its edgy humor and modern sensibility.
Over the years, Baena kept pushing creative boundaries. In 2020, he teamed up with Alison Brie to co-write ‘Horse Girl,’ a psychological drama that dove into mental health and feelings of alienation. The next year, he created ‘Cinema Toast,’ an experimental anthology series for Showtime, where he gave old public domain films a fresh, re-edited twist. The project even marked Plaza’s directorial debut, showing off their creative chemistry. Their last collab, ‘Spin Me Round’ (2022), was a dark comedy co-written with Brie that once again showed Baena’s talent for mixing humor with offbeat storytelling.
Jeff Baena and Aubrey Plaza kept their relationship super private but pretty solid. They started dating back in 2011 and managed to stay under the radar for years. In 2021, they surprised everyone by revealing they’d secretly gotten married in a backyard ceremony during the pandemic, right on their ten-year anniversary. Plaza later spilled a few details about their spontaneous and low-key wedding, letting fans know just how personal it was. She also spoke at length about how much she admires Baena’s creativity and what a great partner he is. Their relationship has always been about respect and teamwork, blending perfectly into both their personal and professional lives.
White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza’s director husband Jeff Baena found dead at LA home age 47 as family left ‘devastated’ pic.twitter.com/ldqf5N826N
— The Sun (@TheSun) January 4, 2025
Baena’s unexpected passing has left a massive void in the indie film world. Friends and collaborators have been sharing stories about his generosity, creativity, and unique voice. His films were known for breaking the usual rules, blending humor, deep questions about life, and real emotional moments. He loved working with a core group of actors like Plaza, Brie, and Molly Shannon, creating a close-knit, family-like atmosphere on set that reflected his collaborative nature. In interviews, Baena often talked about how much he loved making movies and how lucky he felt to share stories that connected with people.
Besides his professional legacy, Baena leaves behind his wife, Aubrey Plaza; his mother, Barbara Stern; his stepfather, Roger Stern; his dad, Scott Baena; his stepmom, Michele Baena; his brother, Brad Baena; and his stepsiblings, Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman. His passing is a huge loss for everyone who knew him personally and for fans who loved his work.
