Talk show host Jay Leno discussed the challenges of taking care of his wife, Mavis, after she was diagnosed with dementia. Jay , who was recently granted conservatorship of her estate and financial assets, appeared on a recent episode of the In Depth with Graham Bensinger podcast.
He said: “When you get married, you sort of take a vow: ‘Will I live up to this? Or will I be, like, a sleazy guy [where] if something happens to my wife, I’m out banging the cashier at the mini-mart?'” The 74-year-old said his marriage to Mavis hasn’t changed in 45 years, adding he only has to “feed her and do all those things” now.
He said looking after her is a ‘challenge’, but then clarified: “I like it. I like taking care of her. She’s a very independent woman, so I like that I’m needed.”
Jay also said in the podcast: “At some point in my life, I’m gonna be called upon to defend myself. I think that’s really what defines a marriage. I mean, that’s really what love is. That’s what you do.
“I mean, I’m glad I didn’t cut and run. I’m glad I didn’t run off with some woman half my age or any of that silly nonsense. I would rather be with her than doing something else.”
He revealed a lot of the couple’s routine is going through memories on flash cards together. As an example, he said: “It’s kind of fun. I go, ‘Honey, that’s President Obama. Remember we had dinner?’ [She’ll say], ‘Oh, not me.’ [And I’ll say], ‘Yeah, honey, that was you!’”
In January 2024, the former night show host filed for a conservatorship over the estate of his wife of 43 years after she was diagnosed with dementia.
The petition, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by Entertainment Tonight, said that Mavis “has been progressively losing capacity and orientation to space and time for several years.
Her “current condition renders her incapable of executing the estate plan.”
In the event that he passes away before Mavis, Jay wants to “ensure Mavis has managed assets sufficient to provide for her care” by establishing a trust for their joint inheritance. Jay has “always handled the couple’s finances throughout” their marriage.
Jay had also been recovering from two accidents: a fire in his garage that left his face and neck badly burned, followed by a motorcycle accident.
At the time Mavis had been supportive and did not try to change his mind on his love for cars and bikes in spite of the harrowing events.
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