Jay Leno has been a pillar of the late-night TV world for almost 30 years. He is most well-known as a comedian and the host of the late-night shows, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and later, The Jay Leno Show. While Leno is a household name, his career hasn’t been one that attracted much in the way of gossip or attention to his personal life. Yet, in recent years, questions about Leno’s sexuality have started to pop up. So, where are these rumors coming from? Is Jay Leno actually gay?
Jay Leno And His Wife Have Been Together Since 1980
The question of whether Leno is exclusively attracted to men can actually be nipped in the bud pretty quickly. He’s been married to a woman for over 40 years. Leno married Mavis Nicholson (now Mavis Nicholson-Leno) in 1980. Nicholson-Leno is a philanthropist known for being a chairperson of the Feminist Majority Foundation. She was also a producer on the Academy Award-winning documentary, Period. End of Sentence. The couple met in 1976 at a comedy club. Nicholson-Leno was always against the idea of getting married and having children. Still, the couple married four years after meeting so Mavis could take advantage of Jay’s insurance. They’ve been happily wed ever since.
The Lenos have a strong and happy marriage, and the two have remained child-free all these years. Of course, with a long-lasting marriage like that in the divorce hub of Hollywood, folks want to know what makes their amazing marriage work. Well, according to Leno, he looks up to his incredible wife. He told the Today Show, “Here’s the secret: You marry your conscience … You marry the person you wish you could be. That’s what I did.” He went on to say, “I’m in show business, which is a selfish profession, so I married a woman that works very hard for women’s rights and other issues like that and it balances out. You marry the person you wish you could be.”
Why People Think He’s Gay
Being happily married for over 40 years seems like it should quash any questions of someone’s sexuality. But, with the power of the internet’s rumor mill, there’s no telling what gossip might persevere.
From late 2020 to early 2021, a series of online advertisements surfaced that said “Meet Jay Leno’s Gorgeous Husband.” They even featured photos of Leno posing with various men, implying that they were the husband. But of course, this was just clickbait created to get readers to follow the links in search of some gossip. Tumblr ads also began circulating, talking about Leno’s supposed husband. While these rumors certainly created some speculation, it only takes a quick google search to confirm that Leno is happily married to his wife. So, maybe you can’t believe everything you read, but you can believe this: Jay and Mavis Leno are living happily ever after.