Aubrey Plaza and Chris Abbott announce pregnancy with first child one year after husband Jeff Baena's death

Congratulations are in order for actress Aubrey Plaza after her rep confirmed the TV star is expecting her first child with her new partner, Chris Abbott.

An insider told PEOPLE: "It was a beautiful surprise after an emotional year. They feel very blessed." The news comes a year after Plaza's husband, Jeff Baena, tragically took his own life.

The screenwriter and filmmaker died in January 2025, aged 47, being found at a home near the Hollywood Hills and Los Feliz areas.

Baena and Plaza had separated four months prior to his suicide.

Discussing her grief in the months that followed, Plaza told her Parks and Recreation co-star, Amy Poehler: "Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you.

Baena took his own life last year (David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

"Overall, I'm here, and I'm functioning. I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I think I'm ok, but it’s like a daily struggle, obviously."

"At all times there's like a giant ocean of, just, awfulness, that's like right there and I can see it, and sometimes I just want to like dive into it, and just like be in it, and then sometimes I just like look at it, and then sometimes I just like try to get away from it, but it's always there."

Plaza and Abbott, 40, who is currently starring in the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman, were first rumoured to be dating earlier this year, after previously collaborating on the Off-Broadway production, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, which wrapped in 2024.

They made a public appearance together on Valentine's Day while attending Khaite's Fall/Winter 2026 New York Fashion Week show together. There, they sat side-by-side with fellow actors Gemma Chan and Elizabeth Debicki.

Their first child is due in the autumn.

The couple's first child is due in autumn (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Plaza, 41, recently appeared on the front row at Paris Fashion Week, but opted to keep her baby bump concealed by some heavy outerwear. At the time, she wore an oversized leather coat, paired with a chic red jumper and boots.

Later in the week, she appeared at a Lacoste show, wearing a similarly boxy orange polo and a mini skirt.

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