Jay Leno's Wife's Dementia Has Caused Her to Sometimes Forget Who the Comedian Is, Conservatorship Request Documents Reveal

Jay Leno plans to stay by wife Mavis' side as she battles dementia — even though the disease has sometimes caused her to forget who he is.

Last year, the comedian, 73, filed a petition to be his 77-year-old spouse's conservator since she can no longer make decisions on her own.

"Unfortunately, Mavis has been progressively losing capacity and orientation to space and time for several years," stated the recently released filing, which was obtained by RadarOnline.com. "Jay is fully capable of continuing his support for Mavis’s physical and financial needs as he has throughout their marriage."

The lawyer who evaluated the pair said the TV star is also doing estate planning.

"The purpose of doing the substituted judgment estate planning would be to prepare an estate plan, and if something happened to Mr. Leno, a petition for conservatorship of the person would promptly be filed according to the plans to be made under the estate planning to have a conservator of the person to be appointed promptly," the paperwork said.

According to the lawyer, Mavis "sometimes does not know her husband, nor her date of birth," though on other occasions, she "reposed great faith and confidence in Mr. Leno relied on him for her protection and guidance.”

"Based on my interaction with Mr. Leno, plus some research I have done, he seems to be a standup guy, and his private persona marches the public persona he projects," the legal guru concluded.

The paperwork also requested that Mavis is not requested to attend the hearing, which is set for Tuesday, April 9.

"The proposed Conservatee, Mavis Elizabeth Leno, suffers from dementia, a major neurocognitive disorder," the documents stated. "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."

Jay has faced health woes of his own, as in 2022, he received third-degree burns on his face while tinkering with an old automobile.

"The fuel line was clogged, so I was underneath it," he explained in an interview of working on a steam car with friend Dave Killackey. "And I said, ‘Blow some air through the line.’ And suddenly, boom, I got a face full of gas."

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"And then Dave, my friend, pulled me out and jumped on top of me and kind of smothered the fire," the Emmy winner added.

In early March, Jay debuted his "new face," explaining he had to undergo skin graft surgery to heal.