Jay Leno was granted conservatorship over his wife of 45 years, Mavis Leno, in April 2024 after announcing her dementia diagnosis
Jay Leno was granted conservatorship of his wife, Mavis Leno, in April 2024 following her dementia diagnosis.
In a new interview, Jay opened up about caring for his wife and why he is embracing his new responsibilities, despite the challenges that her dementia has presented.
The comedian, who faced his own health challenges in the last three years, said the way he’s stepped up for Mavis in her time of need is “what love is” as he sweetly added: “I would rather be with her than doing something else.”
Jay Leno is staying true to his vows.
The comedian and former late night host opened up about how his life has changed one year after he was granted conservatorship of his wife of more than four decades, Mavis Leno, following her dementia diagnosis.
During an appearance on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, which premiered on April 23, Jay, who is just days away from his 75th birthday, explained that this is the first real challenge he has faced in his life.
“When you get married, you sort of take a vow: ‘Will I live up to this? Or will I be like a sleazy guy if something happens to my wife, I’m out banging the cashier at the mini mart?'” he said. “No, I didn’t. I enjoy the time with my wife. I go home, I cook dinner for her, watch TV and it’s okay.”
“It’s basically what we did before, except now I have to feed her and do all those things,” he continued. “But, I like it. I like taking care of her. She’s a very independent woman, so I like that I’m needed.”
Jay added that “you have to find the humor” in the situation to get through hard things, recalling a time when he took Mavis, now 78, shopping at Nordstrom, and she insisted on buying a pair of designer shoes.
Something else he and Mavis have been doing together since her diagnosis is going through memories on flashcards, which has brought some laughs among them as well.
“It’s kind of fun,” Jay admitted. “I go, ‘Honey, that’s President Obama. Remember we had dinner?’ [She’ll say], ‘Oh, not me.’ [And I’ll say], ‘Yeah, honey, that was you!'”
Still, that doesn’t take away from the difficulty of the new dynamic he has with his wife of 45 years.
“Well, that’s the challenge, isn’t it? When you have to feed someone and change them and carry them to the bathroom and do all that kind of stuff every day,” he said. “It’s a challenge. And it’s not that I enjoy doing it, but I guess I enjoy doing it.”
“I’m not just, ‘This person is attractive and sexy,’ and having sex with them and everything,” he noted of having a partner. “At some point in my life, I’m gonna be called upon to defend myself. I think that’s really what defines a marriage. I mean, that’s really what love is. That’s what you do. I mean, I’m glad I didn’t cut and run. I’m glad I didn’t run off with some woman half my age or any of that silly nonsense. I would rather be with her than doing something else.”
Jay first filed for conservatorship for Mavis in January 2024 as he revealed that she had been diagnosed with “advanced dementia,” according to documents obtained by PEOPLE at the time. He was seeking the petition to set up a living trust for Mavis to ensure that she has “managed assets” to provide her with future care if he died.
In early April 2024, Mavis’ court-appointed counsel, Ronald Ostrin, filed a report regarding Jay’s conservatorship petition, noting that Mavis “consents” to the idea, and thus Ostrin formally recommended the approval of Jay’s petition as conservator of his wife’s estate.
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In the filing which was obtained by PEOPLE at the time, Mavis’ neurologist, Dr. Hart Cohen, said Jay is “such a nice man and treats [Mavis] like gold.” Ostrin described the former Tonight Show host as “a standup guy” whose “private persona matches the public persona he projects.”
Ostrin also provided an update on Mavis’ health, revealing that she “sometimes does not know her husband, Jay, nor her date of birth. The neurologist said Mavis also “has a lot of disorientation, will ruminate about her parents who have both passed and her mother who died about 20 years ago.”
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The report also spoke to the relationship between of the couple, who have been married since 1980, with Ostrin describing them as “long-term, loving and supportive,” and Mavis viewing Jay as “her protector and she trusts him.”
Days after the filing, Jay and Mavis’ lawyer attended a hearing at Los Angeles County Superior Court, where her attorney said she was “in agreement” with the conservatorship and “receiving excellent care with her husband, Mr. Leno.” Jay was later deemed “fit” to serve as conservator.
It’s been a difficult few years for Jay. Besides his wife’s health struggles, he also sustained second and third degree burns after a gasoline fire in 2022. He had been working on a steam engine underneath a car in his garage when the fire started. Mavis was by his side as he recovered from the severe burns.
Then, in November 2024, Jay sustained injuries after falling down a steep hill. He told Inside Edition that he broke his wrist, lost the nail on one of his fingers and bruised the entire left side of his body during the tumble. He had to wear an eye patch during his recovery.
The comedian initially met his wife after he performed at the iconic Comedy Store in the ’70s, and they tied the knot in 1980.
Jay previously joked to PEOPLE about the secret to their long-lasting marriage, saying, “Not screwing around is a huge key. You can do a lot. You can leave your underwear on the doorknob for the rest of your life if you don’t screw around.”
All jokes aside, Jay shared, “I always tell guys when they meet a woman, ‘Marry your conscience. Marry someone who’s the person you wish you could be and it works out okay.'”
