Jay Leno is opening up about the challenges that come with looking after wife, Mavis, who has advanced dementia.
In April 2024, the former “Tonight Show” host was granted conservatorship over her estate after her diagnosis was revealed in January of that year.
The Lenos have been married for 45 years, but the last few have been hard as he takes care of her.
He recalled an especially difficult morning ritual Mavis developed. “I mean, probably the toughest part was, every day she’d wake up and realize someone had called today to tell her her mother had passed away,” Jay Leno said in an interview with Hoda Kotb that aired Nov. 20 on TODAY.
Mavis Leno (left) and husband Jay Leno (right) attend the 2012 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Sunset Tower on Feb. 26, 2012 in West Hollywood, California.Jon Kopaloff / FilmMagic
“And her mother died every day for, like, three years. And it was not just crying, I mean, you’re learning for the first time. Each time was — and that was really tricky. Yeah, that makes it hard.”
One positive is Mavis’ eating habits. The comedian says Mavis’ appetite has “really come back,” but they don’t go to any restaurants.
“I wish we could — I could take her out and go out to eat and do things like that, but you can’t really,” he said. “We’ll get some help and we’ll take her out in the car and we’ll drive around and look at stuff and she likes that.”
Jay Leno (left) and Mavis Leno (right) on “The Tonight Show” on Dec. 31, 1992.NBC / NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Leno also says his wife has been restricted in other areas.
“I mean, I feel bad. You reach this point in your life where she loves to travel,” he said.
“So I’m sad that she can’t do those things. But, you know, there’s so much stuff on YouTube, the travel stuff, and we watch those things and, you know, the animal shows and all that kinda stuff.”
While Mavis’ memory has been hampered, Leno says she still recognizes him, although he is aware she may forget him.
“I understand what it is, so I don’t — you can’t blame someone. She’s not forgetting me, you know. That hasn’t happened yet. She seems very — I mean, she seems extremely comfortable now,” he said.
“And she seems happy, and she seems contented. It’s actually OK. It’s good. You know, I enjoy taking care of her.”
Jay Leno (left) and wife Mavis Leno (right) attend an HBO premiere of an exclusive presentation of ‘Billy Crystal 700 Sundays’ on April 17, 2014 at Ray Kurtzman Theater in Los Angeles, California.Barry King / FilmMagic
While Jay Leno beamed into living rooms as host of the “Tonight Show” for decades, Mavis Leno established her career as well, earning a nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for supporting women in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s regime.
Jay Leno told Hoda that Mavis has become reliant on him.
“That’s part of it because now she really needs me, and I like that. And I can tell that she appreciates it,” he said.
“And the idea that you get married and you take these vows, nobody ever thinks they’ll be called upon to act on them, you know?” he continued. “You know that part for better or worse. But even the ‘worse’ is not that bad.”
Leno has also made a point of keeping things upbeat while caring for his wife.
“You know, when I’m carrying her — you know, carry her, like, to the bathroom, we do this and I call it Jay and Mavis at the prom, you know, in high school, you know,” he said. “So, we’re just, like, back and forth. And she thinks that’s funny.”
When asked how his wife shows her love for him, he points to her own words.
“Well, by saying it,” he said.
“You know, I can see the smile. I can tell when she’s happy. And when she looks at me and smiles and says she loves me, I mean, I melt.”
