Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel Celebrates Son Billy's 5th Birthday With Tribute to Doctors Who Saved His Life

Jimmy Kimmel's son Billy faced numerous surgeries after his birth in 2017. Now, as the boy celebrates his 5th birthday, the late-night host is praising the doctors and nurses who provided him care

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Five years after experiencing every parent's worst nightmare, Jimmy Kimmel continues to honor the medical team that helped his little boy.

To celebrate son Billy's birthday on April 21, the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host made a special shout-out. "Happy 5th birthday to our little nut," Kimmel wrote in an Instagram post that showed Billy getting ready to blow out his birthday candles. "We are eternally grateful to the brilliant doctors and nurses at @ChildrensLA &@CedarsSinai for saving Billy's life and to those of you whose donations, prayers and positive thoughts meant everything. Please support families who need medical care."

Kimmel and his wife Molly McNearney welcomed Billy in 2017. Hours after his birth, the child was taken to the newborn intensive care unit. According to a video McNearney shared in 2020, Billy was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot/VSD (congenital heart defects) and underwent his first of three heart surgeries at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles when he was just 3 days old. He would go on to have more than 60 doctor's appointments in three years.

The Emmy winner fought back tears as he spoke about his son's health battle in a 2017 open monologue on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" sending love to McNearney and calling that time "the worst nightmare a new mother could experience."

He also shared a similar message of appreciation to the doctors and nurses who took care of Billy on the child's fourth birthday, noting he's "doing great."

"He's really a fun, normal little kid," Kimmel, who also shares 7-year-old daughter Jane with McNearney, and kids Katie, 30, and Kevin, 28, with his ex-wife Gina Kimmel, told E! News in 2019. "He's very into Spider-Man. He calls Spider-Man 'Fighter Man', which might be a new hero. But he runs around in a little Spider-Man costume and its got muscles on it and it's weird because it looks like a tiny little adult has invaded our home."

Over the years, fans have seen Billy make a number of cameos on his dad's show, playing rounds of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," appearing in a clip on how to behave in the workplace and meeting "Spider-Man" star Tom Holland.

Copyright E! Online
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