Pregnant Aubrey Plaza’s Baby-to-Be Steals the Show With a Mid-Interview Kick

Aubrey Plaza is not doing the mysterious, say-nothing press tour this time. Her baby is basically handling promo for her. Mid-interview. Literally.

The kick heard round TheWrap

During a TheWrap interview that went live Thursday, May 14, the 41-year-old paused and announced that the kid made its presence known right then and there.

"The baby just knocked on me. I just got knocked."

Context that makes this even more Plaza: she was sitting next to a human in a full-on cat costume, playing the real-life version of animated cat Kevin, the lead of her new Prime Video show. After she felt the kick, the person in the Kevin suit did the exaggerated paw-to-forehead move like they just witnessed a plot twist. Peak surreal press junket energy.

The road to the reveal

• April 7: Plaza's rep confirmed to People that she and boyfriend Chris Abbott are expecting their first child, due in the fall. A source told the outlet it was a happy surprise and that they feel very lucky.
• April 13: On Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes' SmartLess podcast, she put it plainly: there is a baby in there. Same day doctor visit for her, vet visit for her dog. Both got scans. Her dog had an ultrasound on her stomach; Plaza had one on hers. Not a bit.
• She also said she is excited to be a mom and has always been curious about the whole experience.
• May 14: Cue the mid-interview kick with Kevin the cat sitting inches away. Timing is everything.

Where Chris Abbott fits in

Abbott, 40, and Plaza have worked together before and are now expecting their first child. Their relationship started after a brutal chapter in her life: Plaza's husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena, died by suicide in January 2025 at age 47. They were separated at the time. Her team called it an unimaginable loss and asked for privacy as she grieved.

Plaza on grief, then and now

In August 2025, on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast, Plaza talked about Baena's death for the first time. She said she was functioning and grateful to keep moving through life, but the hard days show up daily. She described her grief as:

"a giant ocean of awfulness."

Some days she wanted to dive in, some days she could only stare at it, and some days she tried to steer clear. Now, a year later, she's sitting next to a giant cat, talking about a baby kicking. It is both absurd and kind of perfect for her: real feelings, odd setting, no pretense.