⁠When was Mavis Leno diagnosed with dementia? Former 'The Tonight Show' host Jay Leno shares details about his wife's health battle

Jay Leno has opened up about his wife, Mavis Leno's severe dementia, including her diagnosis, her day-to-day challenges of providing care, and the emotional changes in their 45-year-old marriage. The former host of the "Tonight Show" described how her illness has worsened since 2024.

Mavis Leno's dementia was known only after Jay Leno moved to create a conservatorship over Mavis Leno's estate in January 2024, alleging severe cognitive impairment. By the month of April, her court-appointed attorney confirmed that she showed obvious evidence of cognitive impairment, even though she was still communicating and being friendly.

As a result, the court legally accepted the conservatorship. Jay was reassured by the presiding judge that Mavis Leno was getting"very good care," stressing that he was managing everything properly.

The diagnosis totally flipped the couple's life. The Lenos, who have been married for 45 years, not only love but friendship as well as shared rituals. Mavis Leno, who is now totally dependent on Jay now was once a well-known activist who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for fighting for the rights of Afghan women under Taliban control.

How Mavis Leno's progressed over time

In an exclusive interview with TODAY that aired on November 20, 2025, Jay Leno opened up about Mavis's dementia. She still recognizes him, he said, but he is aware that may soon change. In the interview with Hoda Kotb, he said:

“I understand what it is, so I don’t — you can’t blame someone. She’s not forgetting me, you know. That hasn’t happened yet. She seems very — I mean, she seems extremely comfortable now.”

He added:

“And she seems happy, and she seems contented. It’s actually OK. It’s good. You know, I enjoy taking care of her.”

In the same interview with Hoda Kotb, Jay revealed that one of the most painful symptoms was a persistent morning delusion: for years, Mavis would wake up thinking that her mother had just passed away, even though it had been three years since the incident occurred. He said:

“I mean, probably the toughest part was, every day she’d wake up and realize someone had called today to tell her her mother had passed away.”

He added:

“And her mother died every day for, like, three years. And it was not just crying, I mean, you’re learning for the first time. Each time was — and that was really tricky. Yeah, that makes it hard.”

Jay Leno said that though there were problems, one good thing is that her appetite has “really come back,” though there are certain places they cannot go to:

“I wish we could — I could take her out and go out to eat and do things like that, but you can’t really,” he said. “We’ll get some help and we’ll take her out in the car and we’ll drive around and look at stuff and she likes that.”

He continued:

“I mean, I feel bad. You reach this point in your life where she loves to travel,” he said. So I’m sad that she can’t do those things. But, you know, there’s so much stuff on YouTube, the travel stuff, and we watch those things and, you know, the animal shows and all that kinda stuff.”

Jay Leno added about how she would occasionally speak incoherently, using words that "don't quite make sense," and how she always needs affirmation.

"The conversation, it’ll be ... she’ll point to something and say something that doesn’t quite make sense. And I’ll go, 'No, it’s good, honey. It’s all right.' I sense she wants to be reassured that everything’s OK."

Jay Leno's approach to caregiving

Jay Leno in no way feels burdened by taking care of his wife, Mavis Leno. He has repeatedly stated that he enjoys taking care of her:

“That’s part of it because now she really needs me, and I like that. And I can tell that she appreciates it.”

He added:

“And the idea that you get married and you take these vows, nobody ever thinks they’ll be called upon to act on them, you know? You know that part for better or worse. But even the 'worse' is not that bad.”

Leno also added that he loves to spice it up by cracking some jokes:

“You know, when I’m carrying her — you know, carry her, like, to the bathroom, we do this and I call it Jay and Mavis at the prom, you know, in high school, you know. So, we’re just, like, back and forth. And she thinks that's funny.”

He said that Mavis Leno reciprocates her love "by saying it,” he said:

“You know, I can see the smile. I can tell when she’s happy. And when she looks at me and smiles and says she loves me, I mean, I melt.”

Despite all that has happened, Jay has not lost hope. He stated:

“My wife is fighting dementia and all that, but it's not cancer. I enjoy her company, and we have a good time. We have fun with it, and it is what it is.”

He continued:

“There are going to be a couple of years that are tricky. But it's okay. It's not terrible. I'm not a woe-is-me person. I'm just lucky that I am able to take care of her.”

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