Jimmy Kimmel Tears Up Talking About Newborn Son's Heart Condition

Jimmy Kimmel opened the May 1, 2017 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live with an emotional monologue.

The comedian revealed that his wife—and the show's co-head writer—Molly McNearney, had given birth to a baby boy named Billy on April 21, 2017. However, only a few hours later, their son was soon diagnosed with a heart defect, and three days later, he had open heart surgery at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

Kimmel, understandably tearing up throughout the monologue, called the surgery "the longest three hours of my life."

Thankfully, the operation was a success. While Billy will need to have two more procedures—one at six months old and one as a teenager—the newborn is now doing well at home. His proud father even shared some adorable family photos to prove it! "Six days after open heart surgery, we got to bring him home, which was amazing," he said. "He's doing great. He's eating, he's sleeping. He peed on his mother today while she was changing his diaper. He's doing all the things that he's supposed to do."

As The Guardian noted, Kimmel's speech then took a political turn. "No parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child's life," he said. After criticizing President Trump's proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health, and praising Congress for instead increasing funding by $2 billion, he told his audience, "If your baby is going to die and it doesn't have to, it shouldn't matter how much money you make."

After the episode, Kimmel and McNearney expressed their thanks for everyone's support and donations to the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. The late night host tweeted, "On behalf of my family, thank you for the lovely and loving tweets about our son Billy." McNearney shared similar sentiments and noted how the story was "told so eloquently by [her] sweet husband." The relieved parents, who also share a daughter, two-year-old Jane, similarly signed off with "XO."

As Entertainment Tonight reported, Kimmel will take paternity leave this week while celebrity friends, such as Will Arnett and Kristen Bell, take over as fill-in hosts.