Jay Leno stunned by question about ‘getting a girlfriend’ amid wife’s dementia

Jay Leno shares he was shocked when asked if he’d get a girlfriend while caring for his wife through advanced dementia

Jay Leno has opened up about the challenges of caring for his wife of 45 years, Mavis Leno, amid her battle with advanced dementia. The comedian recounted a moment that left him stunned during a recent interview on Life Above the Noise With Maria Shriver.

“My favorite thing was, this is the most Hollywood thing, a guy said to me, ‘So, are you gonna get a girlfriend now?’” Leno recalled. Taken aback, he responded, “‘Well no, I have a girlfriend. I’m married. Married 45 years.’” The person replied, “‘Yeah, but you know what I mean,’” leaving Leno incredulous.

The former Tonight Show host made it clear that he has no intention of seeing anyone else. “No, we’re kinda in this together here,” he explained, joking, “‘Honey, I’ll be with my girlfriend. I'll be back later.’” Leno reflected on how surprising it seems to people that he is remaining committed, saying, “You take a vow when you get married and people are stunned…they’re so shocked that you live up to it. Why?”

The 75-year-old added that, while Mavis’s diagnosis has been difficult, it has also been one of the most meaningful challenges of his life. “This is that thing of, ‘OK, you’ve been pretty lucky up to this point. It’s been easy sailing. This is where it gets a little tricky,’” he said. Despite the difficulties, Leno continues to focus on making Mavis laugh, which he describes as one of his primary joys.

He shared a tender moment, recalling how Mavis said “Honey I love you” in the middle of the night, and he jokingly responded, “‘You’re having a nightmare, go back to bed.’ She thought that was the funniest thing, she just couldn’t stop laughing. And to me that’s what’s fun. ‘Oh, I got a laugh out of her.’”

Jay and Mavis, 79, tied the knot in 1980. In January 2024, Leno filed to establish a conservatorship over his wife’s assets, which was officially approved that April. While some days have been filled with laughter, others have been profoundly challenging. Leno revealed the difficulty of watching Mavis repeatedly relive painful memories, such as the passing of her mother, which she “learned for the first time” every day for years.