Aubrey Plaza appears at SNL 50 special in first appearance after Jeff Baena's death
Some of the biggest stars in American comedy took the stage Sunday as "Saturday Night Live'' celebrated turning 50 this weekend.
Among them was Delaware star Aubrey Plaza, making her first public appearance since the death of her husband Jeff Baena last month. Plaza, from Wilmington, once interned for "SNL,'' served as a page for NBC and also hosted the show in 2023.
Wearing a tie-dyed shirt and black blazer, Plaza introduced Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard, who paid tribute to the late Sinéad O'Connor and her iconic cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U." (O'Connor was perhaps "SNL's'' most infamous musical guest, as on Oct. 3, 1992, she ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II after singing a version of Bob Marley's "War'' in protest of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.)
The O'Connor tribute was just one of several star-studded musical tributes throughout the night.
From fresher faces like Kate McKinnon and John Mulaney, to seasoned veterans like Adam Sandler and Tina Fey — studio 8H welcomed back some of comedy's biggest names.
Paul McCartney also performed as did Sabrina Carpenter — albeit in a comedy bit punctuated by new cast member Marcello Hernández. The special followed a separate concert to honor the anniversary Friday which featured performances from Cher, Lady Gaga and Ms. Lauryn Hill (to name a few.)
What happened to Aubrey Plaza's husband?
Baena, a filmmaker and director who wed Plaza in 2021, died by suicide on Jan. 4. He was 47.
"This is an unimaginable tragedy," a statement on behalf of Plaza and the Baena family provided to Paste BN at the time said. "We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time."
Plaza, who was scheduled to present at the Golden Globes the following day, skipped the ceremony.
As she did not appear in the red carpet event leading up to the three-hour "SNL50'' special, this marked her first televised appearance since the tragedy.
While this was the first live appearance by Plaza this year, she also appeared in a Super Bowl commercial for Ritz crackers which also featured Michael Shannon and Bad Bunny.
Why did Aubrey Plaza wear tie-dye?
Plaza, whose wardrobe choices have made headlines in recent years, apparently chose her tie-dye shirt in tribute to her late husband and work partner.
The actor, an alum of Wilmington Drama League, in an appearance on Drew Barrymore's talk show in December 2021, shared that she and Baena wore tie-dye when they tied the knot:
"So we got married on a whim, literally decided at around 5 p.m. got married around 8:30 … So, Jeff got really into tie dying during the quarantine, so I decided that Jeff and I we were going to wear tie-dye pajamas that he had made for us and I had my rosary crown, and I made love altar in our backyard … ‘’
Did Aubrey Plaza ever host 'SNL'?
Plaza hosted "SNL'' in January 2023, in a show that featured musical guest Sam Smith.
She decided to troll Joe Biden on the show. "I was actually voted the most famous person from Delaware,'' Plaza said. "I beat Joe Biden and he was pissed. He was livid.''
The "vote'' she mentioned was a 2018 Delaware Online poll, in which the actress, writer and producer beat out Delaware's most famous politician.
"Aubrey, you're the most famous person in Delaware, there's no question about that,'' Biden said in a pre-recorded video clip. "We're just glad you made it out of 'White Lotus' alive!," said Biden, referring to the HBO hit's reputation for murder.
On "SNL," Plaza also had a reunion with former "Parks and Recreation" co-star Amy Poehler.
Andre Lamar of Delaware Online/The News Journal contributed to this story.