Aubrey Plaza Is ‘Picking Up the Pieces’ Seven Months After Husband Jeff Baena’s Death

She’s letting it all out.

As Star previously reported, Aubrey Plaza finally broke her silence on her husband Jeff Baena’s suicide in a new interview, revealing that the pain is still raw after seven months of grieving.

“At all times, there’s a giant ocean of awfulness that’s right there and I can see it,” she confessed on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast. “Sometimes I just want to dive into it and be in it, and… sometimes I try to get away from it, [but] it’s always there.”

The candor was unusual for the very private 41-year-old, but an insider reveals that Aubrey felt comfortable opening up to her Parks and Recreation costar and good friend. “It was cathartic for her,” says the insider. “And she hopes that by sharing what she’s been through, it will help others who’ve dealt with the same ordeal.”

Aubrey and the director, who married in 2021, had separated quietly last fall, but were still in contact. Aubrey confirmed to police that the two — who collaborated on four films during their 13 years together — texted just hours before Jeff was found dead in his L.A. home Jan. 3. As Aubrey prepares to promote the film Honey Don’t!, she revealed that while life since his death is a “daily struggle,” she’s “functioning” and “grateful to be moving through the world.”

Says the insider, “Slowly but surely, Aubrey is picking up the pieces. Everyone feels for her. She’s been to hell and back.”