Jay Leno gives update on wife's 'advanced' dementia diagnosis

Fame and money don't always matter... Father time eventually comes for us all.

Comedy superstar Jay Leno recently gave an update on his wife, Mavis, discussing how they get through the days when she is "a little down" amid her battle with dementia.

Leno spoke about his wife's condition, saying that he tries to "find the humor" and "have fun" despite her condition.

Mavis' diagnosis.

In April 2024, the former Tonight Show host was granted conservatorship of Mavis after a court filing revealed that she "sometimes does not" recognize her husband and does not remember her own birth date.

Leno recently spoke about what the diagnosis has done to their family while promoting his latest project, Midas Man. Jay Leno was talking with People when he said that he still aims to find "your moments where you can have a laugh and have fun. You try to find the humor in this situation."

"So we go to Nordstrom's and I said, 'You see anything you like?' 'No, no.' So we look at the shoes, and she says, 'Oh, I like these sneakers.'"

Leno said that Mavis had spotted a pair of "bright blue sneakers" that she liked, so he told her to find a second pair of shoes as well. Mavis apparently picked out another pair of sneakers, this pair colored red and white.

"So I see she's happy, and I said 'This is great.' So I got two pairs of sneakers, and the cashier says 'That's $24. And the other pair, that's $847.'"

Leno continued, "I go, 'No, I only had two pairs of sneakers. I thought these were $24.' The cashier goes, 'Yeah, these are $24. But the other ones were designer sneakers.'"

"It looked like the guy took a pair of the same sneakers and used a bedazzler on them, and they were $800. I look at my wife and said, 'You like these?' I go, 'Honey, you look great.' Leno added, "It's fine, I'm glad I can afford this and it made my wife happy. It just made me laugh. Just typical. I thought the $24 pair looked better than those, but that's okay."

Finding the humor in darkness

"It just made me laugh, and I think when you're dealing with this kind of thing, you find your moments where you can have a laugh and have fun, and my wife really likes them and felt good about it," Leno said. "So the fact that it was the same pair of sneakers that got hit with a bedazzler, I guess that's fine. But it just made me laugh, and that's pretty much what it is."

Leno has described his wife's condition as "advanced dementia," although it is not clear when she was first diagnosed with the issue.

Jay Leno and Mavis have also spoken about how the diagnosis has brought them closer together and made them appreciate everything life has to offer.

"I feel great, yeah!" Mavis said in one of her most recent interviews. "We just have each other."

Jay added, "We've been married 44 years. It gets easier. It doesn't get harder. We do everything together. I go home every night, make dinner, and sit around. We enjoy each other's company. We have a lot of fun. People say marriage is difficult. I don't get it. I enjoy her company. I enjoy taking care of her. We have fun."

"She's the most independent woman I ever knew. Again, I just couldn't be prouder of her," Leno concluded. "I am part of her legacy and that's what I'm proudest of."