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It’s been an emotional week for Jimmy Kimmel and his wifeMolly McNearney. The couple’s seven-month-old son Billy, who was born with acongenital heart defect, underwent a second round of heart surgery on December 4. "ABC's'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' welcomes guest hosts this week," the network said ina statement on the day. "Jimmy's son, Billy, had a scheduled andsuccessful heart surgery this morning." The 50-year-old live host firstopened up about his son’s trying health condition during an opening monologueon his May 1st episode. While the touching video of Jimmy immediately went viral,his writer wife has just recently discussed her feelings of the incrediblypersonal instance.
Molly tweeted a photo of her husband Jimmy and their son Billy on May 2 Photo: Twitter/@mollymcnearney
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“I didn’t get one [email] with the monologue for that night,” Molly recalled in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. The 39-year-old, who serves as a head writer for her husband’s hit show, revealed that she was kept completely in the dark. Jimmy had said to her: “I just want you to watch.”“So, there I am, in my living room breastfeeding Billy withmy mom beside me, and we’re watching,” she continued. “I sobbed through theentire thing. I couldn’t believe the strength that it took to tell that story aweek after it happened. He didn’t have to do that. Our family has excellenthealth care; he had nothing to gain from that. He did it for the other peoplewhom we met in that hospital. He came home that night, and I just hugged himand I wouldn’t let go.”
Jimmy and Molly's son had his second successful heart surgery on December 4 Photo: Instagram/@jimmykimmel
Molly mentioned how during the monologue, Jimmy touched onthe importance of affordable healthcare for families. His heartfelt support wasmet with an incredible response from both viewers and public figures. Jimmyended up receiving personal notes from former presidents Barack Obama and GeorgeW. Bush.
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Of course, Molly admitted some of the negative repercussionsof having such personal details out in the world. "I don't necessarilylike that everyone knows what's going on with the health of my child," sheacknowledged. "And it's scary to make yourself vulnerable the way we have,but the encouragement that we're helping other people far outweighs my fearsabout our lack of privacy.” She added: “I'm looking forward to the day that Iget to tell him about all of this. I want to be the one to tell Billy what hisdad did for him."
Watch Jimmy's candid opening below
