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Jimmy Kimmel Shares Health Update on Son Billy 5 Years After Lifesaving Heart Surgeries

Five years after Jimmy Kimmel’s son Billy underwent two lifesaving heart surgeries, the late night host exclusively shared with E! News a sweet update on his and Molly McNearney’s son is doing today.

By Amy Lamare Oct 10, 2022 7:21 PMTags
Watch: Jimmy Kimmel Shares Update on Son Billy 5 Years After Heart Surgery

Jimmy Kimmel continues to honor the team that saved his son's life.

Five years after Billy underwent two lifesaving heart surgeries, the late night host shared a sweet update on how he and wife Molly McNearny's son is doing today. 

"He's doing great. He's a very funny kid," Kimmel told E! News on Oct. 8 at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles honoring Panda Express and Kristin and Jeff Worthe 2022 Gala. "He loves Spiderman, jumping on my head and doing all the things we tell him not to do."

Billy, who was diagnosed with the rare congenital heart defect tetralogy of Fallot after his birth, is thriving now thanks to the doctors and nurses who cared for him as a baby. "They fixed his heart," the 54-year-old said. "The heart is a super important part of the body...They fixed them up real good, so we're very grateful."

However, Billy isn't fully in the clear just yet. "He still needs one open-heart surgery, but he's doing great," Jimmy told E!. "I tried to explain the heart surgery to him because he has a bit of scar down the center of his chest, and he has almost no interest."

 

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Celebrity Mean Tweets From Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Since Billy's birth, Jimmy—also dad to Jane, 8, with McNearny and Katherine, 21, and Kevin, 19, from a previous relationship—has kept fans up to date on how his youngest has been healing. Back in 2017, he brought Billy, then 8 months, on stage of Jimmy Kimmel Live to show his audience how well he was doing

 

 

Michael Tran/FilmMagic

"He may have pooped but he's fine," the host joked before getting emotional. "Daddy cries on TV but Billy doesn't. It's unbelievable."

"He had an operation a week ago," he continued. "They say he's probably on track to win at least a bronze medal in the Olympics in 2036."

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