Jay Leno recently opened up about his marriage to wife Mavis on the Life Above the Noise with Maria Shriver podcast<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The couple has been married for 45 years, and Mavis was diagnosed with advanced dementia in early 2024<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
“You take a vow when you get married and people are stunned \u2026 they\u2019re so shocked that you would live up to it,” Jay said of his and Mavis’ union<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Jay Leno<\/a> will always be there for his wife, Mavis<\/a>.<\/p>\n The former late-night talk show host, 75, opened up about his and Mavis’ marriage and the remarks he’s received amid her health journey, while appearing as a guest on a recent episode of the Life Above the Noise With Maria Shriver <\/a>podcast. Mavis was diagnosed with advanced dementia in early 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve said this a bunch of times, you take a vow when you get married and people are stunned \u2026 they\u2019re so shocked that you would live up to it,\u201d Jay told Shriver, 70, during the episode, which premiered on Sunday, Jan. 11.<\/p>\n NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via Getty<\/p>\n Mavis during an interview with host and husband Jay Leno on March 23, 1999<\/p>\n Jay and Mavis, 79, have been married since 1980 after they met while he was performing at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n In April 2024, Jay was granted conservatorship<\/a> of her.<\/p>\n During his discussion with Shriver, the comedian shared how some people react to him honoring his vows.<\/p>\n \u201cMy favorite thing was \u2014 this is the most Hollywood thing. A guy said to me, \u2018So, are you gonna get a girlfriend now?\u2019 \u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n Jay told the unidentified individual, \u201c\u2018Well no, I have a girlfriend. I\u2019m married. Married 45 years.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n The person allegedly became insistent, telling the Jay Leno’s Garage star, \u201c\u2018Yeah, but you know what I mean.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n However, the comedian stood firm in his belief to honor his marriage.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, we\u2019re kinda in this together here,\u201d he said. After joking about telling Mavis he was going out with his \u201cgirlfriend,\u201d he later reflected on how times have changed, and how society now views relationships, observing that people seem to raise eyebrows when \u201cyou\u2019re just doing the right thing because you\u2019re supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat used to be the norm, and then when you strayed that was the out of whack part. Now the out of whack part is fairly common, and staying and doing what you\u2019re supposed to do is stunning to people,\u201d Jay said.<\/p>\n Margaret C. Norton\/NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via Getty<\/p>\n Jay Leno and wife Mavis, 1998 Primetime Emmy Awards<\/p>\n Still, after more than 40 years of marriage, he expressed his relief that her dementia diagnosis has been their most challenging hurdle.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is that thing of, \u2018Okay, you\u2019ve been pretty lucky up to this point. It\u2019s been easy sailing. This is where it gets a little tricky,\u2019 \u201d he said.<\/p>\n Jay also told \u200b\u200bShriver that making Mavis laugh \u201cis still one of my primary things.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"NBCU](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ab259a608a0013d09c64c2bd10beedc4.jpeg\"\/)
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