Jay Leno Says Wife Mavis Has 'Still Got the Fire' amid Her Dementia Struggle (Exclusive) Cara Lynn Shultz, Abby SternSeptember 10, 2025 at 12:52 AM 0 Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage Mavis Leno and Jay Leno on April 30, 2024 in Los Angeles Jay Leno told PEOPLE that his wife Mavis has "still got the fire" ...
- - Jay Leno Says Wife Mavis Has 'Still Got the Fire' amid Her Dementia Struggle (Exclusive)
Cara Lynn Shultz, Abby SternSeptember 10, 2025 at 12:52 AM
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Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage
Mavis Leno and Jay Leno on April 30, 2024 in Los Angeles -
Jay Leno told PEOPLE that his wife Mavis has "still got the fire" amid her ongoing struggle with advanced dementia
The former TV host, who was granted conservatorship over his wife of 45 years, said "I enjoy being her rock"
He said he makes sure to come home every night, even when he travels during the day
Jay Leno shared that his wife Mavis has "still got the fire" amid her struggle with advanced dementia.
"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. I enjoy taking care of her. It's fun," Leno, 75, told PEOPLE exclusively at a press conference for Harley-Davidson's charity motorcycle ride, the Love Ride, for which Leno is the Grand Marshal.
"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," Leno said 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."
Michael Tullberg/Getty
Jay Leno is the Grand Marshal for Harley-Davidson's charity Love Ride 34
Leno filed for conservatorship in 2024, and when he was granted conservatorship, the judge said, "She's in very good care with Mr. Leno."
As he told PEOPLE, "I enjoy being her rock. It makes you feel wanted. You got a purpose now. So it's good."
The former Tonight Show host also shared a "funny story" with PEOPLE, explaining that he and Mavis were recently watching an old episode of Hawaii Five-O from the '60s.
"We watched the episode where Stanley Holloway plays a genetic scientist who gets kidnapped. So McGarrett goes to see his daughter, who's like 40. And he says, 'What kind of genetic engineering does your husband do?!' And she says, 'Well, I'm just a woman. I don't understand such things.' "
The comment didn't go over well with Mavis.
"My wife was real involved with women's issues," Leno said, explaining that when Mavis heard that line, "My wife's like [makes growling noises]. She's just yelling at the TV. She still got the fire. It just made me laugh," he said, "Just screaming at McGarrett … But it just made me laugh."
Michael Tullberg/Getty
Jay Leno and Mavis Leno in August 2022
He shared that even when he travels for work, he always makes sure he's home at night. "I come home every day. I went to Puerto Rico for the day and [the] plane waited and I came right back," he told PEOPLE. "That's what I do. I try to be home every night. So that's kind what I do.
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