Two years after she made her Saturday Night Live debut as host, Aubrey Plaza was back on the show for the SNL50 anniversary special, introducing one of the musical performances. This marked Plaza’s first public appearance since her husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena, died Jan. 3 at age 47.
At the time, Plaza had been slated to present at the Golden Globes two days later; she pulled from the award ceremony. In her SNL appearance, Plaza was wearing a tie-dye shirt, which may have been a subtle tribute to Baena.
“Jeff got really into tie-dyeing during the quarantine,” Plaza said in a 2021 interview on The Drew Barrymore Show about the duo’s 2020 wedding. “So, I decided that Jeff and I were going to wear tie-dye pajamas that he had made for us [at the nuptials.]”
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Following Baena’s death, Plaza issued a statement.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support,” Plaza, along with members of the Baena and Stern families, said in the joint statement. “Please respect our privacy during this time.”
At SNL50, Plaza introduced musical guests Miley Cyrus with Brittany Howard and The Roots. They performed “Nothing Compares 2 U,” the song made famous by the late Sinéad O’Connor, one of SNL‘s most memorable music guests, not only for her performances but also for her controversial act of tearing up the Pope’s photo on live TV.
Watch the the performance and Plaza’s intro below: