Aubrey Plaza has been dealing with a huge tragedy recently, as she lost her husband, Jeff Baena, back in January. Now, about a month and a half after his untimely loss at the age of 47, she finally gathered the courage to step back into the public eye.

She put on a brave face and was as professional and marvelous as ever, and even managed to pay a small tribute to her late husband. It will probably be a long time before she’s ready to make a longer appearance, but she took the first step on an SNL special.

Aubrey Plaza Made Her First Public Appearance Since Losing Her Husband

Saturday Night Live celebrated 50 seasons this year, and of course, Aubrey was invited to be a part of the special episodes. She showed up to present Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard’s performance, and fans were happy to see her again.

While she didn’t have a lot of time on screen and didn’t say much, she still took the opportunity to pay tribute to Jeff.

Fans will have noticed that she was wearing a tie-dye shirt under her black blazer. While this might have meant nothing to anyone else, it has a very special meaning for her. It goes all the way back to 2021, when they got married.

“We got married on a whim, literally decided at like 5 p.m. and got married at like, 8:30,” she explained at the time, on The Drew Barrymore Show.

“Jeff got really into tie-dyeing during the quarantine, so, I decided that Jeff and I were going to wear tie-dye pajamas that he had made for us.”

There’s no way to know if she wore the same shirt she wore at her wedding on SNL, but the meaning was clear: even though Jeff is gone, he’ll always be with her.

Jeff Baena’s Tragic Passing

Jeff Baena’s death was announced on January 4, and the tragic circumstances surrounding his passing still shock fans. He died of suicide, and of course, this devastated Aubrey and everyone in his family.

For a few days after the news came out, Aubrey stayed quiet, but on January 7, she finally put out a statement addressing the situation.

“This is an unimaginable tragedy,” the Parks and Recreation star said in the statement. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”

Several people in the entertainment industry extended their condolences, including The Sundance Festival, as Jeff was highly appreciated as an independent writer and director and had appeared at the festival several times.

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to Jeff Baena for sharing his stories and contributing to the lasting memories we’ve built together,” their statement read. “Jeff, we’ll miss your wit, humor, and daring vision. Rest in peace, friend.”

While she might have felt ready to make a short appearance on SNL, this grief will likely accompany her for a long time, but it’s good to see her slowly healing.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to her and everyone in Jeff Baena’s family.

Saturday Night Live

Release Date

October 11, 1975

Network

NBC

Showrunner

Lorne Michaels

Directors

Dave Wilson, Don Roy King, Liz Patrick, Andy Warhol, Linda Lee Cadwell, Matthew Meshekoff, Paul Miller, Robert Altman, Robert Smigel

Writers

Will Forte, Bill Hader, Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig, Chris Parnell, Asa Taccone, John Lutz, Tom Schiller, Simon Rich, Michael Patrick O’Brien, Nicki Minaj, Herbert Sargent, Matt Piedmont, John Solomon, Chris Kelly, Alan Zweibel, Kent Sublette, Ari Katcher, Marika Sawyer, Sarah Schnedier, Scott Jung, Justin Franks, Jerrod Bettis, Rhiannon Bryan

• 
• 

  Adam McKay

  Self / Various

• 
• 

  Al Roker

  Self / Margaret Jo McCullin / Various