![[VIDEO] Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Baby Son's Heart Problems in Monologue](https://tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/david_nemetz_zoom.jpg?w=250&h=250&crop=1)
Jimmy Kimmel dropped the smart-aleck act on Monday, opening up about his newborn son’s serious health scare in a powerfully touching monologue.
The host of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live was clearly emotional from the start of Monday’s monologue, which you can watch above; his voice was quaking from his very first words. Kimmel’s wife Molly just gave birth to their second child on April 21, a baby boy named Billy. But, as a choked-up Kimmel explained, Billy was diagnosed with a rare heart disease and had to undergo a harrowing round of open-heart surgery right after being born.
There’s a happy ending, though: Billy’s surgery went great, and he was able to leave the hospital and come home with his family this past weekend. Kimmel was even able to joke about the ordeal, sharing a picture of the baby boy: “Poor kid… not only did he get a bad heart, he got my face.”
Kimmel thanked all the doctors and nurses at Cedars-Sinai and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and his family and friends for their support: “Even that son of a bitch Matt Damon sent flowers.” He also took a pointed swipe at President Trump for trying to repeal Obamacare, which covers pre-existing conditions like his son’s heart disease: “No parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child’s life… it just shouldn’t happen.”
Understandably, Kimmel is taking the rest of this week off for paternity leave, so a number of guest hosts will step in to host Jimmy Kimmel Live in his absence: Will Arnett (Tuesday), Anthony Anderson (Wednesday), Kristen Bell (Thursday) and David Spade (Friday).
Press PLAY on the video above to watch Kimmel’s monologue, and then hit the comments with your thoughts — and your well wishes for Jimmy and his family.
❤️ Much love & prayers for him & his family ❤️
Aww Jimmy..here I am ugly crying, my goodness this is just so traumatic..my heart aches just thinking about .
My heart goes out to the Kimmel family.
Me too. I can only imagine. And what a powerful message to the president!
Even though he said it had a happy ending, I broke out in a cold sweat while he was telling this harrowing story. It reminded me of watching Ron Howard’s Apollo 13. Again, I knew the outcome of that historic time was positive; but it’s another time I recall breaking out in a cold sweat!
I love the way Jimmy can weave humor in with such a heart-wrenching ordeal. My older sister was born with a similar condition, and we survived some horrible times with a well-cultivated streak of dark humor.
I hope the worst of little Billy’s hardships are behind him, and that we all take away from this how precious life is, to treasure every day (as my sister always did), and that nothing should ever be taken for granted.
Bless that sweet baby. Many prayers and love to the Kimmel family.
I was wondering why he suddenly cancelled the regular shows last week. I am so happy for Jimmy and his wife. Congratulations!
Sympathy with all Americans – spending three times the European average on healthcare, and still haven’t got universal care
A big part of that is because the giant insurance companies and their shareholders need to make profits and dividends while adding nothing to people’s care that couldn’t be done by a non-profit agency. Another big part is that as a whole, Americans don’t pay enough attention to their own health, whether it’s smoking, obesity, drinking or several other factors that increase healthcare costs for everyone. Yet when Michelle Obama tried to suggest that perhaps schools should serve healthier lunches and get kids to exercise a little more, she was attacked as if she just said that children should be shot.
Boy, you said a mouthful! You hit a number of nails on the heads! We–as a society, and not just Americans–need to think of our health and preventative medicine! It’s better to eat properly and never get type 2 diabetes than it is to gorge ourselves for years and then need a diabetes treatment. That’s another reason health care is so expensive (but I can’t agree more with your assessment of the greedy insurance companies)!
There are other causes to Type 2 diabetes than ‘gorging’ oneself! educate yourself instead of promoting false information!
I\m well aware of that, but it is the primary preventable cause. In the context of this discussion, I didn’t feel the need to go into the whole backstory of Type 2 diabetes. I should have known that I’d get a response such as yours, though, so I should probably have put in a reference to it to avoid you having to climb on your high horse.
So sorry your family went through this tragedy, thrilled for you that Billy is safe. Too bad you had so little Leave time. Your wife and kids need you at home – seems like you could use the time at home. CA has PFL – your company should give you at least 6 weeks. Two is really insufficient. I hope you can get more time. You deserve it! #paidleave. @laborproject
I completely agree! I’m writing to you from the land of one year of maternity leave in Canada.It boggles our collective minds that America doesn’t make that happen, too.
Jimmy is taking tonight off (Will Arnett is filling in), but you’re right. He should have more time to be with his family. Of course, he could take it, if he didn’t have the pressures of May Sweeps, but other Americans who don’t have that choice and have to go back to work…it’s just not right.
Bless you for thinking Jimmy Kimmel couldn’t take as much time as he needs/wants. But your heart is in the right place, a quarter of American mothers return to work 2-4 weeks after giving birth because of a lack of paid leave. Although most of us can take 12 weeks thanks to the FMLA law, there is no guaranteed paid leave.
I’m so glad his newborn son is doing well. Jimmy Kimmel is the “heart” of late night TV. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and is not ashamed of it. That’s inspiring.
So sweet
I can’t even begin to imagine how scary it’d be to see your child going through this. Man. So, so happy things turned out okay for Billy, though, and I love the shoutout to the doctors and nurses.
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Well said with the healthcare comment, too. A-freaking-men
Emotional monologue that almost made me cry. What a brave soul Kimmel is right now and very well wishes to his baby son.
Amen, Jimmy, Amen. I’m so glad he said the story had a happy ending, but he still made me cry. I really appreciate the gratitude he expressed for everyone who helped him through it. Kudos to his friends and family for not leaking this to TMZ and allowing Jimmy to share this when he was ready to.
This needs to be your best performance of the week because it wasn’t a performance but a BRILLIANT example of a time when television shows us something vulnerable, relevant, compelling and real. Bravo to Jimmy and many blessings to his family.
Don’t cry your baby is still alive i was sick for years and l still here your baby will to don’t let no one still your joy God got your back happy mother day to your wife