AUBREY Plaza’s world was tragically turned upside down last year following the very sudden and sad loss of her husband Jeff Baena.
But 15 months on, the Parks and Recreation actress, 41, has quietly found happiness and laid the foundations of a fruitful new future, as it emerged this week that she’s expecting her first child with Girls star Christopher Abbott.
“It was a beautiful surprise after an emotional year,” a source close to the couple told People following the baby news, adding that “they feel very blessed”.
The new chapter comes just over a year after her filmmaker husband Jeff Baena was found dead, aged 47, in January 2025.
Aubrey has kept herself mostly out of the spotlight in the aftermath of Jeff’s passing, with it since revealed that she’s been quietly enjoying the company of her supportive new beau Chris.
MOVIE MEETING
Like all good love stories, Aubrey and Chris’s relationship started off as friends.
They first met starring in the 2020 psychological flick Black Bear, and even then were singing each other’s praises.
Speaking at the time, Aubrey said that their dynamic felt “volatile and electric in a way that made every take unpredictable.”
While Chris praised Aubrey at the time as “fearless, you never quite know what she’s going to do.”
SPARKS OFF BROADWAY
The two became co-stars while starring together in the Off-Broadway show Danny and the Deep Blue Sea in 2023.
While the two-person play received mixed reviews, with The Guardian saying it was “challenging theatre, just not in the good way”, the pair grew close behind the scenes.
Halfway through the run, Chris injured his knee, and Aubrey is reported to have “coordinated a dance scene where she gave him a lap dance when he was on crutches.”
Even before the injury, the actress is alleged to have “[rode] him simulating sex while he’s on the floor as one of the sets changed between acts.”
On the evening that Chris hurt himself, Aubrey reportedly “went into a different mode to take care of him and was very affectionate.”
She even skipped seeing fans to attend to her colleague post-performance, with it noted that she “avoided any stage door due to Chris being her main concern.”
Aubrey was still with Jeff during the Broadway run, with her split from her late husband happening around Septemebr 2024, months prior to his death.
Meanwhile, Chris appeared to stay single and was spotted on celebrity dating app Raya, however, never on any actual dates.
Before finding love with Aubrey, Chris dated The Girlfriend star Olivia Cooke, but the pair split just before the pandemic.
PRESS TOUR PAIRING
While not together, their chemistry was visible during the press tour for the play.
Speaking about their project at the time, Aubrey told The New York Times: “He cares but he also doesn’t care; it’s the best recipe for me for a scene partner.
“It’s fun and it’s also good and it’s also safe. I like to just throw things out the window also and laugh and mess around and not take it so seriously. It’s a hard combo to come by.”
Chris agreed, adding: “We’re both unafraid to be ugly and weird and strange.
“We’re doing this play every night for an audience, but I think you also have to do it for each other,” he said.
“We want to entertain the audience, but I personally want to entertain Aubrey.”
“I guess I like to entertain him as well,” Aubrey added.
SECRET DATES
Last July, the couple were spotted at The Chatham Berry Farm, which is located a couple of hours outside of New York City, in what appeared to be a less-than-platonic encounter.
A source at the farm reported to Duexmoi that Aubrey was “was rubbing his back, and they were sitting very close to each other at a picnic table.”
From the insider’s POV, the outing appeared “more than friends.”
The insider added that Aubrey appeared to know Chris’ sister who was also invited on the outing.
Chris’ sister is singer Christina Abbott who posted about the day in June 2025.
The group were said to have had “several rounds of drinks from the cidery and ate dinner.”
Just one month later, Aubrey opened up about her grief during an interview with former Parks and Recreation co-star Amy Poehler.
She said: “Overall, I’m here and I’m functioning.
“I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I think I’m okay, but it’s like a daily struggle, obviously.”
Last year, Aubrey received the tragic news that her estranged husband Jeff Baena had been found dead at the home they once shared.
The U.S. Sun previously reported that emergency services were dispatched to the address in Los Feliz.
His body was found at 10.25am by an assistant at the property, which the couple bought together in 2022.
The filmmaker was pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigator noted in documents that Aubrey, whose name was blacked out in the final report, said she had spoken to Jeff the night before he died.
In March 2025, it emerged Aubrey had quietly split from Jeff four months before his death, with the pair separating in September 2024.
An LA County Medical Examiner’s autopsy report obtained by DailyMail.com stated they had parted that month and that she was living in New York when his body was found.
Jeff’s family were left “devastated” and asked for privacy at the time.
The couple tied the knot over four years earlier after dating for a decade.
They kept both the engagement and marriage secret until Aubrey described him as her “darling husband” in a touching Instagram post following the tragedy.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, you can call the Samaritans for free on 116 123, or visit www.samaritans.org.