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Jay Leno files for conservatorship over his wife’s estate due to her dementia
Comedian Jay Leno on Friday filed in California for a conservatorship over the estate of his wife of 43 years, Mavis Leno, after she was diagnosed with dementia, according to court documents.
The petition, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by “Entertainment Tonight,” said that the 77-year-old Mavis “has been progressively losing capacity and orientation to space and time for several years,” and her “current condition renders her incapable of executing the estate plan.”
The court documents said that Leno “has always handled the couple’s finances throughout” their marriage, and he seeks to create a trust for their joint estate that would “ensure Mavis has managed assets sufficient to provide for her care” should he die before her.
Leno’s estate plan will also provide for Mavis’s brother, who is “her sole living heir aside from Jay.” The couple does not have children.
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It’s unclear when she was first diagnosed. A doctor’s report included in the court documents, dated Nov. 28, 2023, describes Mavis’ dementia diagnosis and her symptoms. The doctor wrote that “it is my professional opinion that, due to her condition, Mavis is unable to meaningfully participate in the hearing on the Petition to Appoint a Probate Conservator nor would she understand the nature, force or effect of the hearing should she attend.”
The doctor also checked a box in the report which said that Mavis “lacks the capacity to give informed consent to any form of medical treatment.”
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for April 9. “Entertainment Tonight” has reached out to Leno for comment. CBS News reached out to Leo’s representation for comment.
Mavis Leno was a longtime board member of the nonprofit Feminist Majority Foundation, a national women’s rights organization, and the chair of the group’s Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls.
The 73-year-old Leno himself has had multiple health scares in recent years. In November 2022, the former host of “The Tonight Show” suffered serious burns from a gasoline fire while working in his vintage car garage in Burbank. Then, just two months later, he broke several bones in a motorcycle crash.
Leno hosted “The Tonight Show” from 1992 to 2009, and then again from 2010 to 2014, after a short stint in between by comedian Conan O’Brien, who was controversially dismissed due to poor ratings.
In a 2014 interview with “60 Minutes,” on the eve of Leno’s second departure from the show, Mavis came to the defense of her husband.
“It made me angry, because there was this perception that for some reason Jay had decided to give up the show,” Mavis told ’60 Minutes.’ “It was like he gave the show to Conan and then he took it back. That was not what happened, OK?”
CBS News
Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
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