Jay Leno opens up about outrageous questions as wife battles dementia

Jay Leno and his wife, Mavis Leno, said “till death do us part,” and they meant it, because there is no chance of them leaving each other’s side.

The 75-year-old TV host and comedian recently talked about the “out of whack” reactions he got after he shared his wife’s dementia diagnosis with the world.

The Tonight Show alum, who has been married to his wife for 45 years, shared, “My favorite thing was—this is the most Hollywood thing, a guy said to me, ‘So, are you gonna get a girlfriend now?’” in an interview on Life Above the Noise With Maria Shriver.

Jay continued to tell the host that he was absolutely astounded by the comment, to which he said, “Well no, I have a girlfriend. I’m married. Married 45 years.’”

The other person insisted, saying, “‘Yeah, but you know what I mean.’”

However, the standup star gently reiterated that he doesn’t see it as an option to leave his wife because of his sickness. He told the host, “You take a vow when you get married and people are stunned, they’re so shocked that you live up to it. Why?”

Reflecting on how people’s perspectives have shifted over the years, Jay said, “That used to be the norm, and then when you strayed that was the out of whack part. Now the out of whack part is fairly common, and staying and doing what you’re supposed to do is stunning to people.”

While Mavis struggles against her illness, Jay shared that the best parts of his days are still the ones spent with her, as they have always been.