The iconic ‘Saturday Night Live’ marked its 50th anniversary this weekend, ushering in some of America’s most distinguished comedic talent. One noteworthy feature was Aubrey Plaza, who hails from Delaware and has had a deep association with ‘SNL,’ NBC, and lately marked her first notable appearance post her husband Jeff Baena’s tragic demise. Displaying a fondness for Bohemian style, Plaza was dressed in a psychedelic shirt paired with a signature black blazer. Sharing the limelight with her, Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard offered a stirring homage to the controversial Sineád O’Connor and her legendary rendition of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U.’,
O’Connor had made headlines for her contentious actions on ‘SNL’ back in October 1992, where she tore a picture of Pope John Paul II during her performance as a form of protest against the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandals. This tribute was a part of several memorable acts that formed the core of that night’s proceedings. Comedy powerhouses such as Kate McKinnon, John Mulaney, Adam Sandler, and Tina Fey were seen returning to the familiar setting of studio 8H. The musical ensemble was further strengthened by the likes of Paul McCartney and Sabrina Carpenter.
Preceding the special event, a dedicated anniversary concert was held on Friday, graced by performances from music legends Cher, Lady Gaga, and Ms. Lauryn Hill. It is to be remembered that Jeff Baena, Plaza’s husband and a respected presence in the film-making fraternity, had unfortunately ended his life at the age of 47 on January 4th. Consequently, Plaza opted out of her presenting duties at the Golden Globes the following day.
In a stark departure from her glitzy past appearances, Plaza kept a low profile during the ‘SNL50’ three-hour special – her first after the unfortunate personal incident. Known for her fashion forwardness bestowing paparazzi with noteworthy moments, Plaza this time opted for a tie-dye shirt as pay respect to her departed husband. A past interaction on Drew Barrymore’s talk show saw Plaza reminiscing about how tie-dye was a fond shared pastime between her and Baena, even influencing their wedding attire.
On the spur of the moment, the couple had decided to tie the knot at around 8:30 in the evening after hashing out the decision at around 5 p.m. She fondly remembers how deeply vested Baena was in experimenting with tie-dye during quarantine, and how they decided to don tie-dye pajamas handcrafted by Baena himself for their impromptu nuptials. The private moment contained just Plaza, Baena, a love altar, and a rosary crown.
Taking center stage in January 2023, Plaza led ‘SNL’ into a spectacular episode featuring Sam Smith as a musical guest. In a rather intriguing choice of direction, Plaza opted to derisively mock Joe Biden, who’s from the very state as Plaza herself. Proclaimed as the most famous Delaware personality by a 2018 Delaware Online poll, Plaza humorously declared that Biden was ‘furious’ and ‘irate’ at this unexpected defeat.
In response, the ‘vote’ – a distinction that seemed to stir an oversized reaction from Plaza given its triviality – revealed that the artist and producer had triumphed over Delaware’s well-known politician. Supposedly taking humor from the poll’s fleeting fame, Plaza courted absurdity by making much of the fact that Biden, despite his long career, couldn’t surpass her in fame in their shared home state. Even Biden, through a pre-recorded video clip, had to reluctantly agree: ‘Aubrey, you’re the most famous person in Delaware, there’s no question about that.’