Tragic Details About Jay Leno's Wife & Her Health Issues

Jay Leno is a household name thanks to his big break on NBC's "The Tonight Show." And through it all, he has had his wife by his side. Jay married Mavis Leno in 1980 after four years of dating. For decades, they were a solid duo, riding on the success of Jay's lucrative career while Mavis fervently advocated for women's rights. Jay and Mavis never had kids and seemed content with their freedom to travel or focus on work. However, everything changed in 2024 when Mavis was diagnosed with dementia. Her diagnosis led to a dynamic shift in her and Jay's marriage.

In January 2024, the former talk show host filed for conservatorship of his wife's estate — which he was granted three months later — after they discovered that Mavis had advanced dementia. In the filing, obtained by Today, it was revealed that her memory was becoming a challenge, and she was unable to recall important people and life events. "According to her neurologist, Dr. Hart Cohen, she has advanced dementia, sometimes does not know her husband, Jay, nor her date of birth," it read. "She has a lot of disorientation, will ruminate about her parents who have both passed and her mother who died about 20 years ago."

In an interview on Graham Bensinger's podcast, "In Depth," Jay described the hardship of being his wife's sole caretaker, including the daily tasks of feeding, changing, and helping Mavis to the bathroom. Nonetheless, Jay is adamant that he is perfectly content with their routine.

In many cases, being the caretaker of a spouse with dementia can be grueling and heartbreaking. For instance, Bruce Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, has been completely candid about the tragedies that have fallen upon their marriage since the "Die Hard" star's frontotemporal dementia diagnosis. But Jay Leno has a bright outlook on his and Mavis Leno's situation. "I've been very lucky in my life. My wife is fighting dementia and all that, but it's not cancer. It's not a tumor, so I enjoy taking care of her," he told People in November 2025. "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."

While the comedian acknowledges that there have been — and will be — hard times throughout the coming years, he seemingly doesn't want to dwell. "I'm not a woe-is-me person. I'm just lucky that I am able to take care of her," he said. During his interview with Graham Bensinger, Jay admitted that he is glad to be in this caregiver role, as he feels it speaks well of his character and shows how much he loves his wife. Of the years he's been taking care of her, compared to the decades before her diagnosis, Jay revealed, "I think there's more love now."