Jay Leno Reveals the Heartbreaking Memory His Wife Relived Daily for Years with Dementia

Comedian Jay Leno is opening up about his wife Mavis Leno’s dementia diagnosis.

Leno sat down with Hoda Kotb on the “Today” show, where he got candid about a heartbreaking memory she was reliving daily.

“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 shared. “And her mother died every day for, like, three years.”

The star said every time, it was like Mavis was hearing the news for the first time.

He said, “Not just crying, I mean, you’re learning for the first time. And that was really tricky."

Through it all, Jay is her rock.

“She wants to be reassured that everything’s okay,” he said. “Now she really needs me, and I like that. And I can tell she appreciates it. The idea that you get married, you take these vows, nobody ever thinks they’ll be called upon to act on them. You know that part — for better or worse. Even the worse isn’t that bad.” 

He’s wishing they could go out together, more but he’s found a way to make it work.

“Her appetite’s really come back,” Jay shared. “I wish I could take her out and go out to eat and things like that, but you can’t really. We’ll get some help and we’ll take her out in the car and drive around and look at stuff. She likes that. I feel bad. You reach this point in your life where she loves to travel and I’m sad she can’t do those things.” 

Leno said of their strong bond, “When she looks at me and smiles and says she loves me, I melt.”