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Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Newborn Son Underwent Heart Surgery in Emotional Monologue: Watch

Jimmy Kimmel revealed during his late-night monologue on Monday May 1, that his newborn son underwent open heart surgery shortly after he was born on April 21. Hear his emotional story in the video above.

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Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel and wife Molly McNearney with daughter Jane and baby boy William “Billy” John Kimmel

It was the first time Kimmel opened up about his baby boy, William “Billy” John Kimmel. Three hours after his birth, doctors noticed that he had a heart murmur and appeared purple in color. It was diagnosed as “tetralogy of fallot with pulmonary atresia,” which is when the pulmonary valve is blocked and there is a hole in the heart wall.

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William "Billy" John Kimmel
William “Billy” John Kimmel

“On Monday morning, Dr. Vaughn Starnes opened his chest and fixed one of the two defects in his heart. He went in there with a scalpel and did some kind of magic that I couldn’t even begin to explain,” Kimmel said. “He opened the valve, and the operation was a success. It was the longest three hours of my life.”

This past weekend, Kimmel and his wife, writer Molly McNearney, were finally able to bring William home to his big sister, 2-year-old Jane.

William "Billy" John Kimmel
William “Billy” John Kimmel

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“He’s doing great. He’s eating. He’s sleeping. He peed on his mother today while she was changing his diaper,” Kimmel added. “He’s doing all the things that he’s supposed to do. This is the best.”

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