NewsNation) — Jay Leno is taking his vows seriously and is standing by his wife amid her dementia diagnosis.

Leno, 75, was a guest on a recent episode of “Life Above the Noise With Maria Shriver” podcast, when he opened up about comments he’s received about his wife Mavis Leno’s health struggles.

“I’ve said this a bunch of times, you take a vow when you get married, and people are stunned … they’re so shocked that you would live up to it,” Leno told Maria Shriver during the Jan 11. episode.

The former host of “The Tonight Show” said that someone had asked him if he was going to get a girlfriend following Mavis’ diagnosis, with Leno telling him, “Well, no, I have a girlfriend. I’m married. Married 45 years.”

He told Shriver that he and his wife are “in this together” and said that society’s way of viewing relationships has changed and it’s confusing to people when “you’re just doing the right thing because you’re supposed to.”

Jay Leno granted conservatorship

The comedian was granted conservatorship over Mavis in April 2024.

The conservatorship allows Leno to make critical decisions regarding Mavis’ care and assets if her condition deteriorates further.

In a January 2024 court filing requesting the conservatorship, Leno stated his wife “has been progressively losing capacity and orientation to space and time for several years.”

Dementia impairs a person’s memory and the ability to make everyday decisions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which noted on its website that Alzheimer’s is the most common form of the illness.

NewsNation’s Damita Menezes contributed to this report