Jeff Baena, the director and husband of actress Aubrey Plaza, has died at 47 in his Los Angeles home. An assistant discovered him at about 10:30 a.m. on January 4, 2025. Baena was pronounced dead at the scene, and his family expressed shock and requested privacy. He was known for directing films like “Life After Beth” and “The Little Hours” and co-writing “I Heart Huckabees.” Baena and Plaza married secretly in May 2021, maintaining a low-profile relationship since they met in 2011. Plaza has not publicly commented on his death but shared pride in his work in her last Instagram post.
Actress Aubrey Plaza’s director husband Jeff Baena has been found dead at the age of 47 in his Los Angeles home.
Baena was found dead by an assistant at his Los Angeles home around 10:30 a.m. Friday, according to coroner’s records viewed by DailyMail.com.
The “Life After Beth” director was pronounced dead at the scene.
The family told Deadline they are shocked by the news and ask for privacy at this time.
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives of Baena and the police for comment.
Baena entered the film world after graduating from New York University with a degree in film and moving to Los Angeles to begin her career.
He gained a foothold in the industry while working in lower-level jobs under big-name directors like Robert Zemeckis and David O. Russell. He worked as a production assistant for Zemeckis and as an editorial assistant for Russell.
He is best known for directing “Life After Beth” and “The Little Hours,” starring “The Plaza,” which was his directorial debut.
Actress Aubrey Plaza’s director husband Jeff Baena has been found dead at the age of 47 in his Los Angeles home.
Baena was found dead in his Los Angeles home by an assistant around 10:30 a.m. Friday.
He also co-wrote I Heart Huckabees, which was nominated for the 2004 Gotham Aware Best Feature Film.
He also wrote Life After Beth, which premiered at Sundance in 2014. His film “Josie” also premiered at the prestigious festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.
The Miami native also worked on “Horse Girl” and “Spin Me Round.”
In his television work, he directed and executive produced the Showtime series “Cinema Toast.” He co-directed this production with his wife.
He married the White Lotus star in May 2021. The two were secretly married.
The two met in 2011, and their relationship has remained largely off the radar. Their fans only found out they were married after she secretly referred to him as her “beloved husband” in an Instagram post.
Plaza has not publicly commented on her husband’s death.
In her last Instagram post with her husband, Plaza revealed how “proud” she was of him.
He married Ms. Plaza in May 2021. The two were secretly married. The two met in 2011, and their relationship has mostly been kept out of the public eye.
Their fans only found out they were married after she secretly referred to him as her “beloved husband” in an Instagram post.
Plaza has not publicly commented on her husband’s death.
In her last post with Baena, shared in May 2021, the award-winning actress praised her “beloved husband.”
“So proud of my beloved husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another movie that would take us to Italy and cause even more trouble,” she captioned the post.
In the heartbreaking final post, the star couple are seen gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes, and they share details about their “new mission”, the 2022 film Spin Me Round. A screenshot of the Deadline article was also attached.
Banea is survived by his wife, mother Barbra Stern, stepfather Roger Stern, stepmother Michele Baena, brother Brad Baena, and stepbrothers Bianca Gabay and Jed Flaxman.
