"A new valve inside a happy, healthy kid”— Jimmy Kimmel shares update after 7-year-old son Billy’s third open heart surgery

Late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel revealed his son, Billy, successfully underwent his third open heart surgery. The 56-year-old comedian took to his Instagram on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, to dedicate a heartfelt message to his son and thank those involved in the surgery.

"This weekend, our boy Billy had his third (of three, we hope) open heart surgery. We went into this experience with a lot of optimism and nearly as much fear and came out with a new valve inside a happy, healthy kid," he wrote.

Jimmy Kimmel and his wife, Molly McNearney, are parents to two kids: daughter Jane and son Billy. Billy was born with a congenital heart disease called Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) with pulmonary atresia.

Per the Mayo Clinic, those born with ToF have four different heart abnormalities that affect the structure of the heart. ToF with pulmonary atresia is a more severe form of ToF where the baby has five heart abnormalities.

In his IG message, he continued to thank Billy's doctors and the "hardworking" nurses and staff at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), where his son was treated.

"Walking around this hospital, meeting parents at their most vulnerable, children in pain and the miracle workers who do everything in their considerable power to save them is a humbling experience," he continued.

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"Stronger than is reasonable for any Mom to be" — Jimmy Kimmel thanks his family in his IG message

During the May 2017 episode of his namesake talk show, a teary-eyed Jimmy Kimmel announced the birth of his son but revealed he underwent open heart surgery at just three days old.

In April 2018, the talk show host told Oprah Winfrey (during his interview published in O, The Oprah Magazine‘s April 2018 issue) that Billy had his second surgery when he was seven months old.

In his Instagram post, the 56-year-old comedian continued to express gratitude to his family and friends for their continuous support. He added a special mention to his wife and son, writing —

"Thank you to my wife Molly for being stronger than is reasonable for any Mom to be and Billy, you are the toughest (and funniest) 7 year-old we know."

Back in October 2022, Jimmy Kimmel gave a health update on Billy to E! News. At the time, he stated Billy was "doing great," adding that —

"He's a very funny kid. He loves Spiderman, jumping on my head and doing all the things we tell him not to do."

Kimmel explained that the doctors and nurses "fixed them up real good, so we're very grateful." However, he added that Billy needed one more open-heart surgery.

In his post, Jimmy Kimmel also added a note that CHLA helps "families regardless of their ability to pay" thanks to the Affordable Care Act, which he credited to the late Senator John McCain, and donations by companies like Disney and everyday citizens.

He concluded his message by urging people to support CHLA and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.