Jimmy Kimmel has revealed that his son Billy underwent his third (and hopefully final) open heart surgery over Memorial Day weekend.
“We went into this experience with a lot of optimism and almost an equal amount of fear and came out with a new valve in a happy, healthy child,” says the ABC host. wrote on Instagram on Mondaycaptioned with a photo of Billy smiling in what appears to be a hospital bed.
Kimmel then praised the doctors, nurses and staff at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where Billy was treated.
“We hope you never need CHLA, but if you do, know that they are helping families regardless of their ability to pay, thanks in large part to the Affordable Care Act (another tribute to the late Senator John McCain), generous donations from companies like Disney, who I am proud to work for, and especially from generous people like you,” Kimmel wrote.
He also thanked his friends, family and even strangers for supporting Billy.
“Thank you to my wife Molly for being stronger than is fair for any mother, and Billy, you are the toughest (and funniest) 7-year-old we know,” Kimmel added.
He then urged people to support Children's Hospital LA and their local children's hospitals.
Kimmel has previously been candid about Billy's health issues.
Shortly after Billy was born, Kimmel spoke about Billy's congenital heart defect and his then-baby's need to undergo open-heart surgery, again at Children's Hospital, when he was just three days old. The procedure went well, but inspired Kimmel to advocate for health insurance.
“If your baby is going to die, and it doesn't have to, then it shouldn't matter how much money you make,” Kimmel said during his emotional monologue shortly after Billy was born in 2017.
Kimmel's comments came amid joint efforts to repeal the ACA by then-President Donald Trump and the Republican Party-controlled Congress in 2017. In a memorable late-night vote that summer, three Republican senators, including the late John McCain, voted against the repeal of the ACA. . The law, one of former President Barack Obama's major policy achievements, is still in effect.
Kimmel continued to update viewers on Billy's condition And, speak against The Hollywood Reporter later in 2017, explained what inspired him to speak out about his son's condition in the way he did.
“I knew I had to say something, and I knew I was going to get emotional. It occurred to me that maybe we could turn it into something positive,” he explained. “I had a lot of time to think in the hospital, and it just so happened that at that moment our government was deciding whether or not millions of people should get health care. I think it has had a great impact on American citizens. Based on the way our so-called leaders voted, I'm not sure this had a major impact on the Senate or House of Representatives.”
He added: 'I don't see what the difference is between healthcare and education. Every child should have the right to education. We don't seem to have a problem paying for that. I was relieved when the [GOP bills] It didn't work out, but it's far from over. I fear that those who oppose Obamacare will do everything they can to make sure it doesn't work. Nothing is perfect, but when people work against something, it becomes a difficult road. I'm afraid these politicians don't care about the people they represent. I've talked to so many people who strongly believe that the reason they're still alive, or their brother or their parents are still alive, is because of the Affordable Health Care Act. There's no denying that when you talk to people.”
Kimmel's wife and head writer Molly McNearney echoed those thoughts in one separate interview with THR.
'I just don't understand. For me, the fact that children have access to healthcare regardless of their parents' income should not be a divisive issue, but that is where we are now as a country,” she said, explaining how the 2016 elections, in which Donald Trump defeating Hillary Clinton inspired her to become more politically active.