Jeff Baena—the screenwriter and director known for films including Life After Beth, Joshy, I Heart Huckabees, and Horse Girl—died at his home in Los Angeles on January 3, reportedly by suicide. He was 47.
Baena is survived by his wife of four years, actress Aubrey Plaza, as well as his mother and stepfather, Barbara and Roger Stern. On Monday, the family released a brief statement about their loss, saying: “This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”
Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Baena left a clearly indelible mark on the Hollywood circles he and Plaza traveled in together since they began dating in 2011. Not only did he co-write I Heart Huckabees with David O. Russell (for whom Baena had previously worked as an assistant editor), but he also frequently collaborated with actors like Molly Shannon, Alison Brie, and Plaza, who appeared in 2022’s Spin Me Round, the final film Baena directed.
At the 2025 Golden Globes on Sunday, Brady Corbet acknowledged Baena’s death while accepting his best-director prize for The Brutalist. “Tonight my heart is with Aubrey Plaza and Jeff’s family,” he said onstage. Many of Baena’s former friends and colleagues have also taken to social media to acknowledge his death and remember their time together, Shannon, Marc Maron, and Adam Pally among them. See some of those tributes below:
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