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Jay Leno's secret to a long marriage: 'Marry the person you wish you could be'

The former "Tonight Show" host visited TODAY on Wednesday and riffed on a number of topics, including his enduring union to Mavis Leno.
/ Source: TODAY

Once you've got 35 years of marriage down, there's a pretty good chance that you made the right decision in picking your spouse, and that you might have some real wisdom about how to keep it working.

Jay Leno, the former "Tonight Show" host who's now overseeing the upcoming series "Jay Leno's Garage" on CNBC, visited TODAY Wednesday to talk Trending topics — and ended up sharing his secret to his own three-and-a-half decade union to Mavis.

"The trick is to marry, like, a normal person," he said. "I always meet people who go, 'I met this girl, she's crazy, the sex is wonderful.' [And I say] 'I know, I know, but you know, when the sex is over, she's still crazy.' That's the problem."

Jay Leno
Jay Leno and his wife, Mavis.TODAY

But it's not just about finding someone grounded, he added. "Here's the secret: You marry your conscience ... You marry the person you wish you could be. That's what I did."

Furthermore: "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."

Some serious, sage advice from the funnyman!

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