Inside Aubrey Plaza’s relationship with Christopher Abbott as she announces pregnancy
Actress Aubrey Plaza hit the headlines earlier this week when it was revealed she is expecting her first child, having found love again with new partner Christopher Abbott.
The White Lotus star, 41, has not publicly announced anything, but a source has revealed the baby is due this autumn, adding: ‘It was a beautiful surprise after an emotional year’.
The happy news comes just over a year after the tragic death of Plaza’s husband Jeff Baena, who died by suicide aged 47 in January 2025 — which has led to vile social media backlash to news of the actress’ pregnancy.
Others, however, have pushed back against this, with one asking bluntly: ‘What was she supposed to do? Be sad and miserable for life?’
While Plaza hasn’t made her relationship with Abbott public, the pair have known each other for several years.
When did Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott meet?
Plaza and Abbott have known each other since at least 2019, when they starred together in the movie Black Bear — a psychological drama which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
The movie stars Plaza as Allison, a film director seeking inspiration for her next project, who becomes trapped at a remote house, and caught up in the relationship of the couple who live there.
The actress, whose character suffers emotional torment at the hands of Abbott’s character, called the film ‘a real artistic labour of love’.
The pair later reunited, onstage, for an off-Broadway production of the play Danny And The Deep Blue Sea, about two troubled strangers who meet in a bar and spend the night together.
Plaza said of Abbott’s performance: ‘He cares but he also doesn’t care; it’s the best recipe for me. It’s fun and it’s also good and it’s also safe…it’s a hard combo to come by.
Abbott, meanwhile, praised Plaza, saying he and his co-star were both ‘unafraid to be ugly and weird and strange’.
‘We want to entertain the audience, but I personally want to entertain Aubrey,’ he said.
Who is Christopher Abbott?
The 40-year-old actor is best known for playing Charlie Dattolo, the boyfriend of Allison Williams’ character Marnie, in HBO hit Girls.
He appeared in the first two seasons of the show, with his character going through a journey which saw him break up with Marnie before returning in the second series as a wealthy app developer and reconciling with her.
After leaving the show he made a one-off appearance in the fifth and final season, in the episode The Panic In Central Park, where it was revealed his character had spiralled into drug addiction.
The actor’s film credits, meanwhile, include 2023’s Oscar winner Poor Things, supernatural horror film Wolf Man and the recent historical drama The Testament Of Ann Lee.
Who was Aubrey Plaza’s husband Jeff Baena?
Jeff Baena was a screenwriter and director known for such projects as 2004’s I Heart Huckabees and the 2020 movie Horse Girl, as well as working with Plaza on the likes of Life After Beth and The Little Hours.
The pair had been together for a decade when they married in 2021, although it was reported that he was estranged from Plaza at the time of his death.
In a statement at the time she and her family said: ‘This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.’
The Parks and Recreation star first spoke out about the death in August last year, when she appeared on Amy Poehler’s podcast.
There, she described grief as a ‘giant ocean of awfulness’ and admitted sometimes she ‘just wants to dive in’.
She added: ‘Then sometimes I just look at it, and sometimes I try to get away from it. But it’s always there.’
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