Jay Leno applies for conservatorship over wife after dementia diagnosis
Jay Leno has applied for conservatorship over his wife Mavis.
The former 'Tonight Show' host took legal steps on Friday (26.01.24) to be put in charge of his wife's affairs after she was diagnosed with dementia, and explained in court documents obtained by TMZ he wants to set up a living trust for his spouse to ensure she has "managed assets" to provide her with future care should be pass away.
The 73-year-old comic stated his wife - who he married in 1980 - doesn't contest a conservatorship being established and does not prefer another person to act as conservator.
Jay also asked the judge to approve Mavis, 77, not attending a court hearing on the matter because it would be "detrimental to her mental and physical health."
It is unclear when Mavis' condition was diagnosed but the pair have been seen out and about together, most recently in November.
And when the former talk show host was recovering from burns injuries he sustained in a fire at home in 2022, Dr. Peter Grossman, a doctor and plastic surgeon at the Grossman Burn Center and West Hills Hospital, where Jay was treated, said that Mavis was "obviously very concerned" about her spouse.
He added: "She's by his side. They have a very close relationship, and she's doing as well as you can expect a wife who is concerned about her husband.”
And Jay admitted after being injured, his first thoughts were for his wife, opting to go home first instead of straight to the Los Angeles burns clinic doctors had recommended.
He explained on 'Today' in December 2022:
"My wife doesn't drive anymore and I didn't want her stuck and not knowing what was going on.
"It just seemed like the right thing to do, and I think it was."
Host Hoda Kotb asked: "So you loved your wife more than you worried about yourself?”
Jay replied: "Yeah, that's it!"