A medical examiner's report revealed that Aubrey Plaza and Jeff Baena had been separated for months before his death.
Plaza, 40, and Baena, 47, separated in September 2024, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's report cited by People revealed.
A month later, Baena made "concerning remarks" to Plaza, leading her to "call a friend to perform a welfare check on her husband."
In the weeks after the October 2024 welfare check, Baena sought therapy. The report states that he had been "experiencing recent marital difficulties" with Plaza. On Friday, Jan. 3, the writer-director died by suicide.
On the day of his death, Baena sent Plaza a text message at 10:36 a.m. ET. His body was later found by his dog walker, who discovered him after entering the home, according to the report.
Plaza and Baena's family later spoke out about his death in a statement to People that read, "This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time."
Baena is credited with directing and contributing to over a dozen films and projects. He gained recognition for his debut feature, "Life After Beth," a zombie-themed comedy he wrote and directed, featuring Plaza, People reported.
In 2021, Baena developed "Cinema Toast," an anthology series for Showtime, which also served as Plaza's debut as a director.
Baena met and started dating Plaza in 2011. They married during the COVID pandemic, which Plaza revealed during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," saying that they "got a little bored one night" and decided to marry after celebrating their 10th anniversary, according to Sky News.
Plaza opened up about their relationship, and about finding balance, in a 2019 interview with People.
"I think that one of the great things about our careers is that we are forced to be independent, take little breaks, go off and do our things and come back," she said. "So it's kind of fun. Nothing is ever the same. You don't want to spend too much time apart. But I think that there's a way that it can work and there's a balance in that."
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.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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