We’re all used to seeing Jimmy Kimmel crack jokes as a talk show host, but on the latest screening of his Emmy Award-winning show, the comic couldn’t have been further from laughing.
Choking back tears, the 49-year-old told the audience about his newborn son, William ‘Billy’ Kimmel’s, emergency open-heart surgery.
“A little over a week ago, on Friday, April 21st, my wife, Molly, gave birth to a baby boy. His name is William John Kimmel,” he began, struggling not to cry.
“We called him Billy. He was an easy delivery – only six pushes out. He appeared to be a normal, healthy baby until about three hours after he was born.
Jimmy went on to explain that it quickly became apparent something was wrong, and that little Billy would need sugery to fix it.
“On Monday morning, Dr. Vaughn Starnes opened his chest and fixed one of the two defects in his heart,” Jimmy explained, in tears.
“He went in there with a scalpel and did some kind of magic that I couldn’t even begin to explain.
“He opened the valve, and the operation was a success. It was the longest three hours of my life.”
Thankfully, Billy is now doing well, with Jimmy even adding, “he peed on his mother today while she was changing his diaper. He’s doing all the things that he’s supposed to do”.
Jimmy is taking paternity leave for the rest of the week, and his A-list friends, including Kristen Bell, Anthony Anderson, Will Arnett and David Spade, will be hosting the show in his place.
