Leno candidly opened up about honoring the promises he made more than 40 years ago as his wife, Mavis, battles advanced dementia.<\/p>\n
“The idea that you get married and take these vows \u2014 nobody ever thinks they\u2019ll be called on to act on them, you know?” Leno said on the “Today”<\/a> show.<\/p>\n JAY LENO TRIES TO FIND THE HUMOR DURING WIFE’S DEMENTIA BATTLE<\/a><\/p>\n The former “Tonight Show” host shared that Mavis “really needs” him now. (Michael Tullberg\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n “You know that part, \u2018for better or worse.\u2019 But even the \u2018worse\u2019 is not that bad.”<\/p>\n The former “Tonight Show” host shared that Mavis has become increasingly dependent on him \u2014 something he accepts without hesitation.<\/p>\n “That\u2019s part of it, because now she really needs me, and I like that. And I can tell that she appreciates it,” he said.<\/p>\n Leno has even brought humor and joy into the most vulnerable moments with his longtime wife, saying laughter remains a special part of their marriage<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n “You know, when I\u2019m carrying her \u2014 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. So, we\u2019re just, like, back and forth. And she thinks that’s funny.”<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n The couple has been married for 45 years. (Nina Zacuto)<\/p>\n Leno, 75, has been married to Mavis, 79, since 1980, and the couple never had children.\u00a0<\/p>\n He also recalled what first drew him to Mavis: the peaceful ease of being together.<\/p>\n “I enjoy her company. If I\u2019m working on a car, she\u2019ll sit with a book and read. It was, and still is, very comfortable. Before she had this, I\u2019d come home, she\u2019d cook dinner for us, and we\u2019d watch TV \u2026 now we can\u2019t really talk about a lot of things,” he explained.<\/p>\n Leno said their conversations look very different now \u2014 quieter, shorter exchanges shaped by the challenges of Mavis\u2019 dementia<\/a>, often revolving around helping her feel safe in the moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Leno and Mavis first met at the stand-up comedy club The Comedy Store in Los Angeles in the 1970s. (NBC)<\/p>\n He shared that the simplest questions can surface again and again as her mind works to make sense of her surroundings.<\/p>\n “She\u2019ll point to something and say, \u2018What\u2019s that?\u2019 and say something that doesn\u2019t quite make sense \u2026 She wants to be reassured that everything\u2019s OK.\u2019” Leno described one of the most painful patterns of her dementia \u2014 a grief that returns as if it\u2019s brand new.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n “Probably the toughest part was, every day she\u2019d wake up and realize someone had called today to tell her her mother had passed away.”\u00a0<\/p>\n In January 2024, Leno filed for conservatorship<\/a> over Mavis\u2019 estate, stating she “lacks the necessary capacity to execute the estate plan” due to “major neurocognitive disorders (including dementia),” according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.\u00a0<\/p>\n In January 2024, the former “Tonight Show” host filed for conservatorship over Mavis\u2019 estate. (Kevin Winter\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Mavis is not only the wife of a television legend \u2014 she built a legacy of her own, including a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2002 for her advocacy supporting Afghan women living under Taliban rule.<\/p>\n![\"Jay](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jay-leno-mavis-wife.jpg\")
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