How Jay Leno Met His Wife Mavis

Jay Leno never would have met his beloved wife, Mavis Leno, if it weren't for their shared passion. In a 2009 interview with the Los Angeles Times, the women's rights activist fondly thought back to the time her friend urged her to visit the Comedy Store, in January 1976, to network and land gigs. As luck would have it, she snagged a seat that was extremely close to the man performing at the iconic comedy club that night, who also ended up being her future husband. Although Mavis couldn't help but mentally appreciate Jay's good looks, she didn't immediately make a move on him. Instead, the activist ran into the comedian as she was exiting the women's bathroom since it bordered the area where the performers chatted after their shows. Mavis had caught Jay's eye in the crowd, too, as the first thing he asked her was: "Are you that girl in the front?" 

However, in a 1987 interview with People, Mavis revealed that the future couple's meet-cute didn't kickstart their romance, as she casually walked past Jay without another word after confirming the location of her seat. Instead, their relationship officially began when mutual friends linked Mavis and Jay up at the Improv a week later. While the legendary talk show host presented the Mavis Leno Award for Global Women's Rights in September 2025, Jay nearly teared up while thinking back to the time he first laid eyes on his wife. The comedian also recalled how he had seen Mavis grace the front page of a newspaper shortly after they first met and immediately thought, "'This is going to be a fascinating relationship,' and it has been" (via Fox News).

In Jay and Mavis Leno's joint 2009 interview with the Los Angeles Times, the former talk show host acknowledged popping the question in an unromantic fashion. Jay simply told the Nobel Peace Prize nominee that she would be covered under his life insurance policy if she were his spouse. And that was it. Mavis had even deterred Jay from buying a ring because she believed it was an expense they didn't need immediately after purchasing a home. The funnyman finally got her a big diamond in 1999, nearly two decades after they tied the knot in a low-key ceremony. 

During a 2014 interview with the Washington Post, Mavis opened up about the real reason why she and Jay Leno never had kids. After the women's rights activist explained that she already determined that she didn't want children when she was still a child herself, Mavis added, "To me, this is the way women get caught." Meanwhile, in her chat with the Los Angeles Times, the comedian's longtime wife revealed that their marriage went through a rough patch after Jay Leno got his big break.

"All of a sudden, Jay had this day job, and every person on the planet was asking him for something," the activist recalled of his talk show debut. "So I thought, I'm going to be the one who doesn't ask for anything." Although Mavis' decision did make her husband's home life easier, it also caused the couple to drift apart. However, the Lenos got their groove back with time. Tragically, though, the couple's lives were thrown for another loop in 2024 after Mavis Leno was diagnosed with dementia.