COMEDIAN Jay Leno has been granted conservatorship to take care of his wife Mavis.
The former TV star‘s wife of four decades is currently going through a battle with dementia.
Who is Jay Leno’s wife, Mavis?
Since 1980, Jay has been married to Mavis Leno.
Mavis was born on September 5, 1946, in San Francisco, California, and is known for her career as a philanthropist.
She first joined the Board of Directors of the Feminist Majority Foundation in 1997 and is now a leader in the effort to make the restoration of women’s rights a non-negotiable element of a post-Taliban Afghanistan, according to her biography.
Her work with the foundation has been recognized worldwide and it was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
On January 27, 2024, People reported that Jay Leno had filed for a conservatorship for Mavis after she was diagnosed with dementia.
TMZ also reported that Mavis was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, a common type of dementia.
In the paperwork, Jay states that he initiated the conservatorship to set up a living trust for Mavis to ensure that she has “managed assets” in the event of his death.
In additional reporting by People, court documents reveal that Mavis “sometimes does not know her husband, Jay, nor her date of birth.”
According to the report, she “has a lot of disorientation, will ruminate about her parents who have both passed and her mother who died about 20 years ago.”
Do Jay and Mavis have children?
Over the past four decades, the Lenos have enjoyed a comfortable life with no children.
In 2014, Mavis spoke with The Washington Post, where she explained why she doesn’t have children, referencing the 1950s sitcom, The Honeymooners.
“I would see a young woman who was very attractive and a thousand times smarter, and she’s living in this little tenement hovel with her husband, Ralph, and then this Ed Norton, who has an even hotter wife,” Mavis explained.
“These men spend all their time talking about what a drag the wives are and asking how can they get away from them. It’s perfectly obvious the women are the ones trapped.”
“I remember telling my mother when I was 7 or 8 that I was never going to get married or have children,” she continued.
“To me, this is the way women get caught.”
While she might not have wanted kids or a wedding, her views on marriage changed when she met Jay in the 1970s.
When was Jay Leno involved in a car fire?
Jay was scheduled to appear at The Financial Brand conference on November 13, 2022, but had to cancel after suffering a “very serious medical emergency.”
It was later revealed that Jay was admitted to the Grossman Burn Center after one of his cars erupted into flames without warning, according to TMZ.
Sources with direct knowledge told the outlet that the accident burned the left side of his face but did not penetrate his eye or ear.
The former Tonight Show host suffered third-degree burns but was in good spirits weeks after the incident.
“The pain is a reminder that I’m an idiot!” he said in an interview with PEOPLE magazine.
After the accident, Jay had to undergo two skin-grafting surgeries- one with human cadaver skin and one with pig intestine.
Since then, Jay has been on the road to recovery, but less than two months later was involved in another incident that left him with a broken collarbone, ribs, and cracked kneecaps.
The incident occurred on January 17, 2023, while he was driving a vintage motorcycle in Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“So I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it,” Jay explained to the outlet.
“So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clothesline me and, boom, knocked me off the bike.
“You know, after getting burned up, you get that one for free,” he later joked.
“After that, you’re Harrison Ford, crashing airplanes. You just want to keep your head down.”
Despite several broken bones, Jay insisted he was alright.
“But I’m OK!” he told the outlet. “I’m OK, I’m working. I’m working this weekend.”
Why has Jay Leno been granted a conservatorship of his wife?
The former TV presenter filed for his wife’s conservatorship in January 2014 after she was diagnosed with dementia.
According to People: “In the filing Leno said that Mavis does not contest the establishment of a conservatorship and does not prefer another person to act as conservator.”
He then had his requested granted during a hearing in Los Angeles in April 2024.
The minute order read: “The court finds from clear and convincing evidence that a conservatorship of the estate is necessary and appropriate in that (Mavis Leno) is unable to care for her financial affairs and is subject to undue influence.
“The conservatorship is the least restrictive alternative needed for the protection of (Mavis).”
During the hearing, Jay revealed he was in the process of managing Mavis’ will and assets.
How many cars does Jay Leno own?
Jay boasts a jaw-dropping car collection consisting of over 181 cars and 160 motorcycles.
He once took to YouTube to share his love of cars in Jay Leno’s Garage.
As an avid car collector, Leno takes viewers with him as he searches across the country for unique finds.
He reportedly suffered “serious face burns” after one of his cars erupted in flames without warning.
The scary incident occurred at Leno‘s Los Angeles garage when one of his vehicles unexpectedly went up in flames, causing severe burns to the left side of his face, according to TMZ.
