It’s been one year since the former Tonight Show host Jay Leno was granted a conservatorship of his wife Mavis Leno after she was diagnosed with dementia. Now, Jay is speaking out to reveal the “toughest part” of Mavis’ dementia battle, and it’s nothing short of heartbreaking.
‘Her Mother Died Every Day…’
While being interviewed on the Today show on Thursday morning, Jay opened up the challenges of being his wife’s caretaker.
“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,” recalled Jay, 75. “And her mother died every day for, like, three years.”
Jay went on to say that each day, it was like Mavis was learning about her mother’s death for the first time.
“Not just crying, I mean, you’re learning for the first time,” he lamented. “And that was really tricky.”
These days, Jay spends much of his time comforting Mavis amidst her confusion.
“She wants to be reassured that everything’s okay,” he stated. “Now she really needs me and I like that. And I can tell she appreciates it. The idea that you get married, you take these vows, nobody ever thinks they’ll be called upon to act on them. You know that part – for better or worse. Even the worse isn’t that bad.”
“Her appetite’s really come back,” the former Tonight Show host continued. “I wish I could take her out and go out to eat and things like that, but you can’t really. We’ll get some help and we’ll take her out in the car and drive around and look at stuff. She likes that. I feel bad. You reach this point in your life where she loves to travel and I’m sad she can’t do those things.”
Despite the challenges of Mavis’ dementia battle, Jay is still madly in love with her.
“When she looks at me and smiles and says she loves me, I melt,” he concluded.
Watch Jay’s full comments on this in the video below.
Jay Enjoys Caring For Mavis
Earlier this month, Jay discussed what it’s like to be a caregiver for Mavis.
“It’s not work, because people come up, and say they feel so sorry. I understand the sympathy, because I know a lot of people are going through it, but it’s okay,” he told People Magazine. “I like taking care of her, I enjoy her company, and we have a good time. We have fun with it, and it is what it is.”
Jay made similar comments about his life with Mavis back in September.
“My wife’s got some problems, so it’s just her and I. But it’s always been her and I for the last 45 years anyway, so it’s fine,” Jay told People at the time. “I enjoy taking care of her. It’s fun.”
“I mean, I do enjoy it. People think, ‘Oh, it must be horrible.’ No, because she’s not in any pain. She’s not suffering,” he continued of Mavis, 79. “It’s not like a tumor or cancer. It’s just a confusion that comes with Alzheimer’s and dementia. And that’s okay.”
Mavis Is ‘In Very Good Care’ With Jay
Jay and Mavis have been married since 1980. He was granted a conservatorship over Mavis in April of 2024. At the time, the judge said emphatically that “she’s in very good care with Mr. Leno.”
Judging by Jay’s latest comments, it’s clear that the judge couldn’t be more right about this. Indeed, Jay is clearly an extremely devoted husband.
“I enjoy being her rock. It makes you feel wanted,” Jay admitted. “You got a purpose now. So it’s good.”
Jay concluded by saying that when he needs to travel for work performing standup comedy, he always makes sure to return home to Mavis at night.
“I come home every day. I went to Puerto Rico for the day and [the] plane waited and I came right back,” Jay stated. “That’s what I do. I try to be home every night. So that’s kind what I do.”
In the crazy world of Hollywood, it’s rare to find a celebrity that takes his marriage vows as seriously as Jay does. We should all be so lucky to have a spouse like Jay Leno in our own lives.
God bless you both, Jay and Mavis Leno!