Jimmy Kimmel and his wife recently welcomed baby William “Billy” Kimmel into the world, their third child. Last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the host was brought to tears while revealing to the world what he and his wife have been going through in the past few days. As Jimmy states in his monologue, this story does have a happy ending.
At less than a month old, their newborn son was forced to undergo open-heart surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. After birth, one of the nurses noticed a heart murmur and that Jimmy’s newborn son was slightly purple. There wasn’t enough oxygen getting into baby Billy’s lungs.
This is the most powerful segment I’ve ever seen from Jimmy Kimmel. I’ll admit that he’s my favorite of the major late night TV show hosts, but that’s because I prefer his brand of humor. After watching his show for what seems like decades, this is the most vulnerable and open I’ve ever seen Jimmy on stage. In this moment he’s not a comedian, he’s not a TV host, he’s just a father who was scared for his son and family.
Always the class act, Jimmy Kimmel made a point of calling out each nurse and doctor by name in this story. Paying credit to the people who saved his son’s life. Not all heroes wear capes, more often than not they’re wearing scrubs.