Aubrey Plaza shuts down Instagram account following death of husband Jeff Baena

Aubrey Plaza is taking a break from social media following the death of her husband Jeff Baena. 

The Agatha All Along actress, 40, has deactivated her Instagram account over a week after Baena died by suicide at 47 on Jan. 3. Attempts to visit her account now direct to a white page that reads: “Sorry, this page isn't available. The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.” 

In a statement provided to Entertainment Weekly, Plaza and Baena’s family called his death “an unimaginable tragedy.” They continued, “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”

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Plaza and Baena began dating in 2011 and, a decade later, the actress confirmed that they’d tied the knot in a since-deleted 2021 Instagram post. While the pair kept their romantic relationship private, they were great onscreen collaborators, with Plaza appearing in Baena's 2014 directorial debut Life After Beth, 2016’s Joshy, 2017’s The Little Hours, and 2022’s Spin Me Round. Plaza also made her own directorial debut as part of Baena’s 2021 anthology series Cinema Toast. 

Following the news of Baena's passing, several of his close friends took to social media to pay their respects to the independent filmmaker, including Alison Brie, Molly Shannon, Adam Pally, and Jake Johnson.

Alex Ross Perry also paid tribute to his dear friend Baena in an Instagram post. “I loved all of the ideas he has been telling me about upcoming movies and stories he wanted to make and share. They were weird. They were unusual. And they were typical Jeff,” he wrote in part. “Jeff brought me together with a lot of wonderful talented people, because that is what he loved doing. I hope my connections to them endure, and that we always talk about him. We are all better for having known Jeff.”

Baena is survived by Plaza; his mother, Barbara Stern; his stepfather, Roger Stern; his father, Scott Baena; his stepmother, Michele Baena; his brother, Brad Baena; his stepsister, Gabay Fluxman; and his stepbrother, Jed Fluxman.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.