Jay Leno has a star on Hollywood Boulevard and a spot in the Television Academy Hall of Fame, but according to him, neither is his greatest achievement.
That would be marrying Mavis Leno.
âI am part of her legacy and thatâs what Iâm proudest of,â he said this week at the Feminist Majority Foundationâs 16th Annual Global Womenâs Rights Awards Gala.
The couple together presented the inaugural Mavis Leno Award for Global Womenâs Rights â dedicated to the philanthropist for her Nobel Prize-nominated work as chair of the nonprofitâs Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls.
âI just couldnât be prouder of her,â Leno, 74, told the galaâs attendees Tuesday.
Leno in January filed a since-granted petition to become conservator of his wifeâs person â including her medical decisions â after her diagnoses with advanced dementia and a mood disorder. It is unclear when Mavis, 77, was diagnosed, but Jay Lenoâs petition said she had been âprogressively losing capacity and orientation to space and time for several years.â
The couple has nonetheless recently made several public appearances, including at the April 30 premiere of the Netflix film âUnfrosted.â At the event, Mavis told âET,â âI feel great.â
During his speech Tuesday, Jay held back tears as he recalled meeting Mavis for the first time. Marrying her was âthe smartest thing Iâve ever done,â he said.
Now, theyâre coming up on 45 years together.
âWe have a lot of fun,â Leno said. âPeople say marriage is difficult. I donât get it. I enjoy her company. I enjoy taking care of her.â
Especially with his faith and the support of his family, Leno told Fox News on the red carpet that night, âIt gets easier. It doesnât get harder.â
Sahra Mani, the inaugural winner of the Mavis Leno Award for Global Womenâs Rights, is the director of âBread and Roses,â a documentary detailing the resistance of Afghan women against the Taliban, Ms. reported. The film is produced by Jennifer Lawrenceâs production company, Excellent Cadaver, and starts streaming June 21 on Apple TV+.