Jimmy Kimmel Reveals His Son Billy Needs 2 More Open Heart Surgeries

Jimmy Kimmel recently revealed that his son, William “Billy”, would need to undergo two more open heart surgeries.

The host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and his wife, Molly McNearney, welcomed Billy on April 21. Ten days later, Kimmel told the viewers of his ABC talk show that their newborn underwent emergency surgery at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles when he was just 3 days old. In his 13-minute emotional monologue, Kimmel also encouraged the government officials to re-consider the Affordable Care Act.

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Three months after his son’s surgery, Kimmel spoke with The Hollywood Reporter to give an update about Billy’s health. “He has to have two more open heart surgeries. We would like to get them over with and not have to think about it all the time, but it could definitely be worse,” he said.

Kimmel also shared that his wife, who had just given birth at the time, was temporarily left in the dark about their son’s situation. Initially, the talk show host thought that he was just taking Billy for a routine checkup at the hospital. “But it became a very serious situation very quickly. I didn’t have my cellphone to tell my wife what was going on. She started to worry about an hour after I left and the doctor had to go in and tell her what was going on,” he recounted.

Meanwhile, Kimmel’s 13-minute speech on his show in May triggered a lot of talk among the viewers, as well as officials in the government. Kimmel received a tweet from former president Barack Obama. According to Kimmel, Obama also penned a private letter for him and his family. “He wished us best and thanked us for speaking,” he said.

Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former president George W. Bush wrote Kimmel letters as well. He also received notes from some members of the congress. “My goal always is not to make this a red or blue issue because I don’t think it is. If the opinion polls are to be believed, more than 80 percent of Americans support some kind of insurance plan that works. It’s clear that these politicians aren’t listening to the people,” he said.