Jay Leno Opens Up About Caring for His Wife Amid Dementia Battle

Jay Leno gave an update on his wife of nearly 45 years, Mavis Leno, after reports emerged in January that he had been granted conservatorship of their joint estate after she was diagnosed with an advanced form of dementia.

"It's OK. You know, it's life. Everybody goes through it," Leno said, speaking with Fox News Digital this week. "I've been very lucky in my life. I don't complain about everything. We have a lot of fun, and I cook dinner for her every night."

"She's good. She's good, you know? It's changes you have to make, but that's OK. That's OK," he added.

The couple, who wed in 1980, appeared on the red carpet of Jerry Seinfeld’s directorial debut Unfrosted back in May, where Mavis herself gave an update on her condition. "I feel great," she told Entertainment Tonight at the time. For his part, Leno was similarly optimistic. "Well, we hang out every day. We have a great time. 44 years [married], so we're doing good," he added.

When news of the conservatorship broke, it was reported that Leno did so to have the ability to "structure her living trust and other estate plans" in the event that he were to pass away before his wife. Though she seemed bright and aware at the film premiere, Mavis’ neurologist, Hart Cohen, stated in legal documents that she "sometimes does not know her husband, Jay, nor her date of birth."

The documents also reportedly affirmed that the comedian's wife was experiencing "a lot of disorientation" and "ruminates about her parents who have both passed and her mother who died about 20 years ago." However, despite the tough situation, Cohen noted that Leno "loves his wife very much" and "treats [her] like gold," and that he had likewise requested the conservatorship "out of respect" to Mavis.