Mavis Leno and Jay Leno on April 30, 2024.Photo:Amy Sussman/Getty
Amy Sussman/Getty
Jay Lenois finding the humor in little moments with his wifeMavis Lenoas he cares for her following herdementia diagnosis.The comedian, 74, has been married to Mavis since 1980. He wasgranted a conservatorship over his wifein April 2024 following her diagnosis that January, which is the same month he submitted the legal filing.While speaking with PEOPLE recently about his role in the new movieMidas Man, Jay recalled a humorous moment when he took his wife shopping recently as he spoke to finding “your moments where you can have a laugh and have fun” despite her health condition.“You try to find the humor in this situation,” he says. “I took my wife shopping, I can see she’s a little down, [so I said], ‘Come on, we’ll go to the mall.’ So we go to Nordstrom’s and I said, ‘You see anything you like?’ ‘No, no.’ So we look at the shoes, and [she says], ‘Oh, I like these sneakers.'“Jay, who hostedThe Tonight Showfor more than three decades, recalled how Mavis liked a pair of “these bright blue sneakers” and he encouraged her to buy a second pair of shoes on the outing. She eventually settled on a pair of red-and-white sneakers, he recalls.“So I see she’s happy, and I said ‘This is great.’ So I got two pairs of sneakers, and [the cashier says] ‘That’s $24. And the other pair, that’s $847,'” Jay says. “I go, ‘No, I only had two pairs of sneakers. I thought these were $24.’ [The cashier] goes, ‘Yeah, these are $24. But the other ones were [designer sneakers]. It looked like the guy took a pair of the same sneakers and used a bedazzler on them, and they were $800. I look at my wife and said, ‘You like these?’ I go, ‘Honey, you look great.'““It’s fine, I’m glad I can afford this and it made my wife happy. It just made me laugh. Just typical,” he continues. “I thought the $24 pair looked better than those, but that’s okay. It just made me laugh, and I think when you’re dealing with this kind of thing, you find your moments where you can have a laugh and have fun, and my wife really likes them and felt good about it.“Mavis Leno and Jay Leno on Sept. 20, 1987.Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection"So the fact that it was the same pair of sneakers that got hit with a bedazzler, I guess that’s fine. But it just made me laugh, and that’s pretty much what it is,” he adds.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Months after her diagnosis was revealed, the couple stepped out together in May 2024 at the Feminist Majority Foundation’s 16th Annual Global Women’s Rights Awards Gala, where he described marrying Mavis as the “smartest thing I’ve ever done” during a speech, according toFox News.Jay Leno and Mavis Leno on Aug. 8, 2022.Charley Gallay/GettyJay also shared that the pair “have a lot of fun” as he added, “People say marriage is difficult. I don’t get it. I enjoy her company. I enjoy taking care of her. We have fun. She’s the most independent woman I ever knew. Again, I just couldn’t be prouder of her.“Audiences can watchMidas Manat the movie’swebsite here.
Jay Lenois finding the humor in little moments with his wifeMavis Lenoas he cares for her following herdementia diagnosis.
The comedian, 74, has been married to Mavis since 1980. He wasgranted a conservatorship over his wifein April 2024 following her diagnosis that January, which is the same month he submitted the legal filing.
While speaking with PEOPLE recently about his role in the new movieMidas Man, Jay recalled a humorous moment when he took his wife shopping recently as he spoke to finding “your moments where you can have a laugh and have fun” despite her health condition.
“You try to find the humor in this situation,” he says. “I took my wife shopping, I can see she’s a little down, [so I said], ‘Come on, we’ll go to the mall.’ So we go to Nordstrom’s and I said, ‘You see anything you like?’ ‘No, no.’ So we look at the shoes, and [she says], ‘Oh, I like these sneakers.'”
Jay, who hostedThe Tonight Showfor more than three decades, recalled how Mavis liked a pair of “these bright blue sneakers” and he encouraged her to buy a second pair of shoes on the outing. She eventually settled on a pair of red-and-white sneakers, he recalls.
“So I see she’s happy, and I said ‘This is great.’ So I got two pairs of sneakers, and [the cashier says] ‘That’s $24. And the other pair, that’s $847,'” Jay says. “I go, ‘No, I only had two pairs of sneakers. I thought these were $24.’ [The cashier] goes, ‘Yeah, these are $24. But the other ones were [designer sneakers]. It looked like the guy took a pair of the same sneakers and used a bedazzler on them, and they were $800. I look at my wife and said, ‘You like these?’ I go, ‘Honey, you look great.'”
“It’s fine, I’m glad I can afford this and it made my wife happy. It just made me laugh. Just typical,” he continues. “I thought the $24 pair looked better than those, but that’s okay. It just made me laugh, and I think when you’re dealing with this kind of thing, you find your moments where you can have a laugh and have fun, and my wife really likes them and felt good about it.”
Mavis Leno and Jay Leno on Sept. 20, 1987.Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection
“So the fact that it was the same pair of sneakers that got hit with a bedazzler, I guess that’s fine. But it just made me laugh, and that’s pretty much what it is,” he adds.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Months after her diagnosis was revealed, the couple stepped out together in May 2024 at the Feminist Majority Foundation’s 16th Annual Global Women’s Rights Awards Gala, where he described marrying Mavis as the “smartest thing I’ve ever done” during a speech, according toFox News.
Jay Leno and Mavis Leno on Aug. 8, 2022.Charley Gallay/Getty
Charley Gallay/Getty
Jay also shared that the pair “have a lot of fun” as he added, “People say marriage is difficult. I don’t get it. I enjoy her company. I enjoy taking care of her. We have fun. She’s the most independent woman I ever knew. Again, I just couldn’t be prouder of her.”
Audiences can watchMidas Manat the movie’swebsite here.
source: people.com