Aubrey Plaza makes first appearance since husband Jeff Baena’s death at ‘SNL 50’ special
She’s coming back for “SNL.”
Aubrey Plaza, 40, made her first public appearance since her husband’s death at “Saturday Night Live’s” 50th anniversary special on Sunday night.
“Saturday Night Live” celebrated 50 years on the air with a three-hour special called “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” Feb. 16 (8 p.m. on NBC and Peacock) — and Plaza was one of the many celebs in attendance.
Plaza’s husband, Jeff Baena, died by suicide on Jan. 3. He was 47.
Plaza appeared onstage at the special to introduce one of the comedy special’s musical performances – Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard, who sang a cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
Plaza broke her silence three days after her husband’s passing in a statement from the couple’s family.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time,” the statement obtained by The Post read.
Follow along with The Post’s coverage of ‘SNL’s 50th anniversary
Baena was a writer and director.
His big break came in 2004 when he co-wrote the screenplay for “I Heart Huckabees” with the film’s director, David O. Russell.
Plaza started dating him in 2011.
They worked together several times in the past, as the former “The White Lotus” actress starred in Baena’s directorial debut, “Life After Beth,” a zombie comedy about a man who discovers that his girlfriend (Plaza) has returned from the dead. The film was nominated for the prestigious Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
The couple married in 2021, but kept their relationship low key and private. Fans only learned it after the “Parks and Recreation” actress referred to the director as “my darling husband” on social media.
“So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to Italia to cause some more trouble,” Plaza wrote in the May 2021 Instagram post.
“The marriage was just like a joke that honestly went too far,” Plaza said on “The Drew Barrymore Show” that year.
“We got married on a whim,” she added. “Literally decided at around 5 p.m. and got married at 8:30.”
Plaza was originally scheduled to present at the 2025 Golden Globes on Jan. 5, but bowed out after her husband’s passing.
During the ceremony, which was hosted by Nikki Glaser, Brady Corbet sent love to Plaza while accepting his best director award for “The Brutalist.”
“Tonight my heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff’s family,” Corbet said at the time.
Plaza has stayed under the radar since Baena’s death, but the actress, who hosted “SNL” on January 21, 2023, was one of the many celebs who attended the big 50th anniversary special.
Longtime production designer Keith Raywood told The Post about putting together the special.
“We [will] have about 450 people in the studio, which is essentially about 200 people more than we would normally have.”
This number is for the audience, since it will be full of the special guests’ friends and family, he said.
“Imagine all the people who have been on the show – those cast members and hosts,” he explained. “It’s a lot of people [there to see them]. And, those seats don’t normally exist.”
