“We went into this experience with a lot of optimism and nearly as much fear,” the late-night host shared in a heartfelt post.
Published May 27, 2024 6:15PM EDT
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Jimmy Kimmel’s 7-year-old son, Billy, successfully underwent his third open-heart surgery over the weekend, the late-night host has revealed.
Kimmel shared the news in an Instagram post on Monday, writing, “This weekend, our boy Billy had his third (of three, we hope) 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.” His message was accompanied by a photo of a smiling Billy in a hospital bed.
Billy, whom Kimmel shares with his wife Molly McNearney, was born with a congenital heart disease in 2017. A month after his son’s birth, the host returned to Jimmy Kimmel Live! with an emotional monologue in which he revealed that Billy’s official diagnosis was “tetralogy of fallot with pulmonary atresia,” meaning his pulmonary valve was blocked and there was a hole in his heart.
In his Instagram post on Monday, Kimmel added, “Thank you to my wife Molly for being stronger than is reasonable for any Mom to be and Billy, you are the toughest (and funniest) 7 year-old we know.”
The host went on to thank Billy’s team of doctors and nurses at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. “Walking around this hospital, meeting parents at their most vulnerable, children in pain and the miracle workers who do everything in their considerable power to save them is a humbling experience,” he wrote. “We hope you never need CHLA, but if you do – know that they help families regardless of their ability to pay, thanks largely to the Affordable Care Act (another salute to the late Senator John McCain), generous donations from companies like Disney, which I am proud to work for and especially from generous people like you.”
Kimmel’s post prompted responses from a slew of his famous friends, including John Stamos, who wrote, “God bless your little Billy. He’s lucky he has parents like you and also the care of the good folks at CHLA.” Andy Cohen added, “Love to Billy!!!❤️,” while Justin Theroux commented, “Bravo Billy.”
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