Jay Leno Files Conservatorship to Manage Wife's Estate After Dementia Diagnosis
The former late-night staple is taking steps to care for his wife amid a harrowing diagnosis.
Former Tonight Show host Jay Leno has filed for conservatorship over his wife Mavis Leno and her estate after she was diagnosed with dementia, according to court documents. The petition, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by Entertainment Tonight, said that the 77-year-old Mavis "has been progressively losing capacity and orientation to space and time for several years," and her "current condition renders her incapable of executing the estate plan."
Leno's filing says he believes his wife of 44 years consents to the conservatorship, though there was no revelation on when Mavis was diagnosed with the disease. The court documents said that Leno, 73, "has always handled the couple's finances throughout" their marriage, and he seeks to create a trust for their joint estate that would "ensure Mavis has managed assets sufficient to provide for her care" should he die before her. The estate plan would also provide for Mavis's brother, who is her "sole living heir aside from Jay."
The couple met during their respective time at The Comedy Store in the 1970s. They married in 1980 and share no children. Leno recently talked about his marriage during an appearance in 2023, labeling his wife his "conscience" and crediting that with staying together for decades.
"Marry the person you wish you could be, who is kind and maybe whatever fault you have, doesn't have those faults," he told Kelly Clarkson at the time. "That's worked out for me, so to me, I married the perfect person. It worked out good."
The legal decision is the latest major hurdle Leno has had to navigate in recent years. In 2022, Leno was badly burned in a car fire at his garage. He followed this with a motorcycle accident only a few months after the fire incident. This left him with several broken bones, though the comedian has avoided major disaster to this point.
"Boom, I got a face full of gas," Leno told Today host Hoda Kotb in the aftermath. "And then the pilot light jumped and my face caught on fire." Leno's wife actually played a part in his thinking after the accident, with him showing more concern for her reaction than his own injuries.
"My wife doesn't drive anymore and I didn't want her stuck and not knowing what was going on," Leno detailed, noting he went home before going to the burn unit. "So you loved your wife more than you were worried about yourself?" Kotb added, which Leno agreed with jokingly.