Viewers have noticed a meaningful detail in Aubrey Plaza’s SNL50 outfit.
The 40-year-old actress made her first public appearance since the tragic death of her husband, Jeff Baena, at Saturday Night Live’s 50th-anniversary special on Sunday (February 16).
The special event saw a whole host of Hollywood stars come together to celebrate 50 years of the hit NBC sketch show.
Plaza briefly appeared on stage to introduce musical guests Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard, who were performing a cover of Prince’s 'Nothing Compares 2 U', which was made famous by Sinead O'Connor.
Speaking directly to the camera, the White Lotus actress said: “Ladies and gentlemen, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard.”
Viewers noticed that Plaza’s outfit - a black blazer and slacks paired with a tie-dye T-shirt - appeared to be a touching nod to her late husband.
Tie-dye held a special place in the couple's relationship. In a 2021 interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, the Parks and Recreation star revealed that she and Baena got married in tie-dye pajamas.
“Jeff got really into tie-dying during the [COVID-19] quarantine,” she told the host at the time. “So I decided that Jeff and I were going to wear tie-dye pajamas that he had made for us.”
Plaza even added a whimsical touch to their intimate wedding ceremony: “I made, like, a love altar in the backyard of all our love objects, [and] it was very witch-core,” she recalled.
Baena was a writer and director whose film credits include I Heart Huckabees (2004), Life After Beth (2014), Horse Girl (2020), and Spin Me Round (2022), his final movie.
He first met Plaza in 2011 during a game of Balderdash, and the two quickly bonded over their shared passion for film.
Tragically, the 47-year-old was found deceased on January 3, 2025, at the couple's home in Los Angeles. The LA County Fire Department's radio call, obtained by The US Sun, revealed that a unit had been dispatched to a Los Feliz residence.
His body was discovered by an assistant at 10:25AM, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities later confirmed that Baena died by suicide.
Plaza addressed the heartbreaking loss in a brief but poignant joint statement with Baena’s family. "This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time," the family penned.