Jimmy Kimmel Praises ’Toughest (And Funniest)’ Son Following Third Open-Heart Surgery

Entertainment

Jimmy Kimmel revealed on Instagram on Monday that his 7-year-old son Billy had successfully undergone a third — and what the late-night host said will hopefully be his final — open-heart surgery.

“We went into this experience with a lot of optimism and nearly as much fear and came out with a new valve inside a happy, healthy kid,” Kimmel captioned a photo of Billy in his hospital bed.

“Thank you to my wife Molly [McNearney] for being stronger than is reasonable for any Mom to be and Billy, you are the toughest (and funniest) 7 year-old we know,” he added.

Kimmel also expressed his gratitude to the medical team at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. See the full post here:

Billy was born in 2017 with a rare heart condition known as etralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. He underwent emergency open-heart surgery at just three days old and then had another major operation at eight months old.

Kimmel’s emotional recollection on his “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show of his son’s first few days — which included a passionate plea to Congress to ensure universal access to health care and a condemnation of then-President Donald Trump’s proposed health care funding cuts — went viral.

“If your baby is going to die and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make,” Kimmel said at the time. “I think that’s something that whether you’re a Republican or Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right?”

“We need to make sure that the people who are supposed to represent us ― the people who are meeting about this right now in Washington ― understand that very clearly,” he added. “Let’s stop with the nonsense. This isn’t football. There are no teams. We are the team. It’s the United States. Don’t let their partisan squabbles divide us on something every decent person wants.”

Watch Kimmel’s monologue from 2017 here:

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="YouTube" data-component-id="7831" data-component-props="{"itemType":"video","index":13,"contentIndexByType":3,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

","type":"video","meta":{"author":"Jimmy Kimmel Live","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa6vGFO9ty8v5KZJXQxdhaw","cache_age":86400,"description":"Jimmy and his wife Molly welcomed their second child together, William “Billy” Kimmel. At three days old, Billy had successful open heart surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and is now home with his family. Jimmy opens up about his son’s birth and health complications and encourages donations to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where Billy and so many other kids get such wonderful care… chla.org/donate. \n\nPedestrian Question – Are You High Right Now? https://youtu.be/cPm0ySQvSbU\n\nSUBSCRIBE to get the latest #KIMMEL: http://bit.ly/JKLSubscribe\n\nWatch the latest Halloween Candy Prank: http://bit.ly/KimmelHalloweenCandy\n\nWatch Mean Tweets: http://bit.ly/JKLMeanTweets8\n\nConnect with Jimmy Kimmel Live Online:\n\nVisit the Jimmy Kimmel Live WEBSITE: http://bit.ly/JKLWebsite\nLike Jimmy Kimmel Live on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/JKLFacebook\nFollow Jimmy Kimmel Live on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/JKLTwitter\nFollow Jimmy Kimmel Live on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/JKLInstagram\n\nAbout Jimmy Kimmel Live:\nJimmy Kimmel serves as host and executive producer of Emmy-winning \"Jimmy Kimmel Live,\" ABC’s late-night talk show.\n \n\"Jimmy Kimmel Live\" is well known for its huge viral video successes with 2.5 billion views on YouTube alone. \nSome of Kimmel’s most popular comedy bits include – Mean Tweets, Lie Witness News, Jimmy’s Twerk Fail Prank, Unnecessary Censorship, YouTube Challenge, The Baby Bachelor, Movie: The Movie, Handsome Men’s Club, Jimmy Kimmel Lie Detective and music videos like \"I (Wanna) Channing All Over Your Tatum\" and a Blurred Lines parody with Robin Thicke, Pharrell, Jimmy and his security guard Guillermo.\n\nNow in its fifteenth season, Kimmel’s guests have included: Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, Halle Berry, Harrison Ford, Jennifer Aniston, Will Ferrell, Katy Perry, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, George Clooney, Larry David, Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg, Kobe Bryant, Steve Carell, Hugh Jackman, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Garner, Ryan Gosling, Bryan Cranston, Jamie Foxx, Amy Poehler, Ben Affleck, Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal, Oprah, and unfortunately Matt Damon.\n\nJimmy Kimmel Reveals Details of His Son’s Birth & Heart Disease\nhttps://youtu.be/MmWWoMcGmo0","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MmWWoMcGmo0/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Details of His Son’s Birth & Heart Disease","type":"video","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmWWoMcGmo0","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://www.huffpost.com","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"66559255e4b0521227496e60","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jimmy-kimmel-son-surgery_n_66559255e4b0521227496e60","entryTagsList":"jimmy-kimmel,@us_huffpost_now","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":"entertainment","sectionRedirectUrl":"https://www.huffpost.com/entertainment","subcategories":"us-news","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"https://img.connatix.com/50c05293-5a7a-459b-b306-eb03b4874942/1_th.jpg?crop=629:354,smart&width=629&height=354&format=jpeg&quality=60&fit=crop","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":2},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_slideshow":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"66559255e4b0521227496e60","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Jimmy Kimmel","slug":"jimmy-kimmel","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/jimmy-kimmel","permalink":"https://www.huffpost.com/topic/jimmy-kimmel","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffpost.com/topic/jimmy-kimmel"},"department":{"name":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment"},"section":{"title":"Comedy","slug":"comedy"},"topic":{"title":"Late Night Shows","slug":"late-night-shows","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffpost.com/entertainment/topic/late-night-shows"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-1\", \"entry_paragraph_1\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-2\", \"entry_paragraph_3\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-infinite\", \"repeating_dynamic_display\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}”>

[embedded content]

Kimmel’s message drew praise from former President Barack Obama, who wrote on X-then-Twitter that it was “exactly why we fought so hard for the ACA, and why we need to protect it for kids like Billy.”

You might also like More from author

Comments are closed.