Christopher Abbott has hit the headlines after reports swirled that he is expecting a child with actor Aubrey Plaza.
The 40-year-old, whose breakout role was in Lena Dunham’s hit show Girls, has enjoyed quiet success with a series of independent films, often choosing psychologically demanding roles.
While fans were unaware of the Catch-22 actor’s relationship with Plaza, they have known each other for years.
Christopher’s early life and career
Abbott was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1986 and grew up between there and Stamford in a working-class neighbourhood.
He has Italian roots on his mother's side and Caribbean heritage through his father.
The actor gained public recognition playing Charlie Dattolo, the docile boyfriend of Marnie (Allison Williams), in the HBO comedy-drama series Girls.
After the characters’ initial breakup, Charlie returns in season two as a successful and wealthy app developer with a newfound confidence and reconciles with Marnie.
Abbott left the show in season three amid reports of clashes with show creator Dunham. His character returned in season five for a single, critically acclaimed episode titled "The Panic in Central Park".
In the episode, it was revealed that Charlie's life had spiralled into drug addiction and squalor, providing a definitive end to his and Marnie’s relationship.
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After Girls, Abbott moved between television and independent films focusing on character-driven stories that premiere at festivals like Sundance or TIFF.
He earned wider recognition for projects like Catch-22 and films such as James White and Possessor.
In recent years, he has appeared in bigger projects like the 2023 fantasy-comedy Poor Things with Emma Stone and the upcoming Netflix adaptation of East of Eden opposite Florence Pugh.
Connection to Aubrey Plaza
Abbott first worked with Plaza on the 2019 psychological drama Black Bear, which premiered at Sundance in 2020 to critical acclaim.
They reunited in 2023 for an Off-Broadway revival of John Patrick Shanley’s Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, which ran into January 2024, further cementing their creative partnership.
The couple were last publicly seen together on February 14, attending Khaite’s Autumn/Winter 2026 show during New York Fashion Week, where they sat front row alongside Elizabeth Debicki and Gemma Chan.
On Tuesday, it was reported that the pair are expecting a baby together - just over a year after the death of Plaza’s estranged husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena.
Their child is understood to be due in the autumn.
A source told People: “It was a beautiful surprise after an emotional year.”
Plaza and Abbott, who have collaborated both on screen and stage, are said to feel “very blessed”.
Prior to the pregnancy news, Plaza had kept her relationship with Abbott largely out of the spotlight.
Reports of the relationship first began to circulate in mid-2025, when the pair were reportedly seen together at Chatham Berry Farm in upstate New York.
According to social media outlet DeuxMoi, Plaza was spotted speaking with a woman later identified as Abbott’s sister, Christina Abbott, who subsequently shared a post from the same location.
