Aubrey Plaza stepped out in public with her newborn daughter for the first time on Sunday, cradling the infant in her arms in New York City after attending the final performance of her partner Christopher Abbott’s Broadway show. The “Parks and Recreation” actress was dressed casually in a black top and blue jeans, while her baby was bundled in a gray blanket and white beanie. Earlier that day, Plaza arrived at the Winter Garden Theatre wearing an oversized blue sweater and jeans, with another woman holding the newborn as she entered the venue to watch Abbott’s closing night performance in “Death of a Salesman.”
The couple welcomed their baby girl during the last week of July, according to reports first published Sunday. The birth comes just months after Plaza announced her pregnancy and represents a significant new chapter for the actress following a difficult period in her personal life.
Plaza first revealed the exciting news in April when her representative confirmed to People magazine that she was expecting her first child. At the time, a source close to the couple described the pregnancy as “a beautiful surprise after an emotional year,” noting that Plaza and Abbott “feel very blessed.” The couple had kept their relationship largely private, which caught many fans off guard when the pregnancy announcement emerged.
The actress herself opened up about her pregnancy in a lighthearted manner during an appearance on the “SmartLess” podcast. “Well, there’s a baby inside of me,” she said. When asked about becoming a first-time mother, Plaza expressed genuine enthusiasm: “I am. Yeah. I’ve always wanted to see what that’s all about, you know?”
Abbott, known for his roles in HBO’s “Girls” and numerous independent films, also spoke publicly about the exciting news during a May appearance on the “Today” show, calling the pregnancy “very exciting.” The actor joked that “there’s too much going on” in his life at the moment, given his demanding Broadway schedule.
The 42-year-old Plaza and 40-year-old Abbott have worked together professionally on multiple occasions before their relationship became romantic. They first collaborated on the 2020 psychological thriller “Black Bear,” in which they starred as part of a complex love triangle. The pair reunited in 2023 for the off-Broadway revival of “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea,” marking Plaza’s stage debut. During a 2023 interview with The New York Times about their work together, Plaza praised Abbott as a scene partner, saying “He cares but he also doesn’t care; it’s the best recipe for me.” Abbott spoke similarly about their chemistry, noting that “we’re both unafraid to be ugly and weird and strange.”
The couple was first publicly linked in July 2025 when they were spotted together at The Chatham Berry Farm outside New York City, with onlookers noting that their interaction appeared romantic rather than platonic. They made their official red carpet debut as a couple at the 2026 Tony Awards in June, where Abbott received a nomination for his featured role in “Death of a Salesman.” Plaza displayed her baby bump in a black-and-white pinstripe dress at the event as the pair posed together for photographs.
The pregnancy and birth represent a remarkable period of recovery for Plaza following a profound personal tragedy. Her estranged husband, filmmaker and screenwriter Jeff Baena, died by suicide in January 2025 at age 47. The couple had quietly separated four months prior to his death, ending a relationship that had spanned from 2011 until their marriage in 2021.
In the months following Baena’s death, Plaza grappled publicly with her grief. Speaking on Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast in August 2025, she reflected on the emotional weight of loss. “Overall, I’m here and I’m functioning,” she said. “I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I think I’m OK, but it’s like a daily struggle, obviously.” In another interview, she compared her grief to the imagery in the horror film “The Gorge,” describing how the loss felt like “a giant ocean of awfulness” that was always present, something she sometimes wanted to dive into and sometimes tried to escape from, but that remained constantly at the periphery of her consciousness.
The arrival of her daughter with Abbott marks a transformative moment for Plaza, arriving approximately a year and a half after Baena’s death and offering a hopeful new beginning following her emotional journey through loss and healing.