Aubrey Plaza didn’t have the typical child star journey of getting famous super quickly, burning out, and then figuring out what to do next. She broke out as April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation in her mid-20s (and fans will be quoting her bitter and sarcastic lines forever). Thus, fans are eager to hear about her childhood, including who her parents are and how they helped her find her creative voice.
Plaza has come a long way from her iconic sitcom character and she has range in her acting roles, from the 2020 dark thriller Black Bear to the brilliant second season of The White Lotus. She also plays a memorable character in Agatha All Along.
So, since we never miss any of her projects and are intrigued to learn more about her backstory, let’s go back to the beginning and learn about her parents.
Who are Aubrey Plaza’s mom and dad?
Plaza’s parents are named Bernadette and David Plaza. According to People, David is a wealth management advisor and managing director at Merill Lynch. Before that, he was employed by Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. as a senior financial advisor. Bernadette is a lawyer at Goldfein & Joseph and was a Delaware deputy attorney general.
Plaza has talked about her parents’ hard work, and as People noted, she said during a 2023 Drew Barrymore Show appearance, “I grew up watching them hustle.” While her mom and dad worked at Wawa for a while, they then pursued the career paths they are currently on. She told The Guardian in 2022, “My parents are very ambitious and they came from nothing.” She added, “as a child I had this hunger to make a name for myself.”
Plaza’s parents’ story proves that you can make the changes you want to in life. Her mom and dad were only 19 years old when she was born in 1982. They lived in Wilmington, Delaware at the time. While raising a child at such a young age was no doubt challenging (and taking care of a sweet baby who doesn’t like sleep as much as adults is tough at any age!), they made it work. Plaza has two sisters, Renee and Natalie, who were born in 1996 and 1991. Plaza told The Guardian that her mom and dad attended school in the evenings when she was young.
Far from being a nepo baby (even a likable one), Plaza didn’t grow up with parents who work in the entertainment industry or who encouraged her to become a child star. Instead, her mom showed her the amazing world of comedy, and she enjoyed learning about it. In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, she shared that she went to a high school where she could study improv in Philadelphia and that she always thought it would be amazing to star on Saturday Night Live. Bernadette is the one who first showed her an episode of the legendary late-night comedy show.
While of course it’s possible to follow your heart without your parents’ support, it’s a lot easier and less stressful when you have their full understanding of the life you want to pursue. In a 2015 The New York Times interview, Pete Davidson’s mom Amy shared that she wanted her son to go all in on his love of comedy when he was a high schooler, too.
Fans no doubt appreciate that David and Bernadette encouraged Plaza’s funny, creative side, and she has had an amazing career as a result.