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A new role is on the way for Aubrey Plaza. She\u2019s expecting her first child with partner Chris Abbott.<\/p>\n
A representative for Plaza confirmed the news to People magazine<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n A statement said “it was a beautiful surprise after an emotional year,” and that the two actors “feel very blessed.”<\/p>\n CBC News reached out to Plaza’s reps for comment but have not heard back. <\/p>\n The White Lotus star and Girls alumnus hadn’t previously confirmed their partnership publicly, but have a long history as co-stars.\u00a0<\/p>\n Plaza and Abbott appeared alongside each other in the 2020 film Black Bear. They also shared the stage in 2023 in the off-Broadway revival of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.<\/p>\n In addition to her successful Hollywood career, Plaza is the author of several children’s books. In 2021, she published The Legend of the Christmas Witch, and followed up with a sequel, The Return of the Christmas Witch, in 2022.<\/p>\n During her appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in October, she shared the inspiration for the stories.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Basically, I have my friends sign up for slots on Christmas morning if they have kids \u2026 and I show up when they’re opening their presents around 7:30 in the morning.” she said.<\/p>\n “Then I try to steal their presents … so it adds this element of fright on Christmas morning, which kids love.”\u00a0<\/p>\n News comes a year after husband’s death<\/p>\n The news of Plaza\u2019s pregnancy comes just over a year after the death of her husband Jeff Baena. The two were together for three years but separated in September 2024.<\/p>\n Baena, a director and writer behind indie successes ranging from absurdist drama I Heart Huckabees to black comedy The Little Hours, died in January 2025<\/a> at age 47. His death was ruled a suicide.\u00a0<\/p>\n Plaza first spoke about mourning Baena’s death during an appearance in August on Amy Poehler’s podcast Good Hang.<\/p>\n Early on in the interview, Poehler asked Plaza how she was doing.<\/p>\n “Overall I’m here and I’m functioning, and I feel really grateful to be moving through the world,” Plaza told her former Parks and Recreation co-star. “I’m OK. But, you know, it’s a daily struggle, obviously.”\u00a0<\/p>\n She went on to describe her grief, likening it to the 2025 film The Gorge, starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor Joy. Plaza explained that the film featured a pit full of violence, monsters and darkness surrounded by two tall cliffs.<\/p>\n “That feels what my grief is like,” she said. “At all times, there’s a giant ocean of awfulness that’s right there, and I can see it\u2026 and sometimes, I just want to dive into it and be in it. And sometimes, I just look at it. And sometimes, I just try to get away from it. But it’s always there.”<\/p>\n If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to get help:<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775671749_734_default.jpg\")
Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott attend opening night of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York on Nov. 13, 2023. (Dia Dipasupil\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n