Jimmy Kimmel Returns To Late Night, Gives Update On Son Billy's Health

The late night host returned to the small screen following a week-long hiatus.

Jimmy Kimmel took time off last week to be with his family, but upon his return to Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, he explained how things didn't go exactly as planned.

"Officially, I was off because my son Billy was supposed to have his next heart surgery, but we had to postpone it because we all had colds," the comedian told the audience at the top of his monologue. "But the truth is, I was waiting in line for the new iPhone all week," he quipped.

"Anyway, my son is doing fine," Kimmel added, before mentioning his guest hosts, Shaquille O'Neal, Dave Grohl, Channing Tatum, and Jennifer Lawrence. "I want to thank everyone who filled in for me," he said. "Shaquille O'Neal, who I would like to thank twice — because he's enormous."

The 49-year-old dad said he was glad to spend time with his family, which also includes his wife and co-head writer Molly McNearney and their 3-year-old daughter, Jane. However, he admitted that it was nice to get back to work. "It was good to have some time at home with the kids, but there is such a thing as too much time at home with the kids," Kimmel joked. "Last night at about six o'clock, I reached that time limit."

As Nicki Swift previously reported, 6-month-old Billy was born with a heart defect in late April 2017 and had to undergo emergency open-heart surgery only three days later. In early May, Kimmel first opened up about his son's health condition, while speaking out on behalf of the Affordable Care Act. "No parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child's life," he said. The emotional monologue went viral, making Kimmel a surprising health care advocate.

"[Billy's] going to have another operation coming up soon, and another when he's around eight to 10 years old," he explained to The New York Times in early October, adding, "He's doing well."