Jimmy Kimmel opened his latest late-night show on a very serious note.
"I have a story to tell about something that happened to our family last week," he said on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, as he started to get choked up. "I'm sorry. You know, I try not to get emotional, but it was a scary story. And before I go into it, I want you to know it has a happy ending, okay? So when I'm telling this, don't get too upset. Leave that to me."
Kimmel went on to say that his wife, Molly, gave birth to their second child on April 21, a boy named Billy. Everything seemed normal at first, until a few hours later, when a nurse discovered that he had a heart murmur and noticed his skin was a bit purple. Kimmel described the terror of watching a group of very worried-looking doctors and nurses try to figure out what was wrong with his newborn son. Eventually, they told him that Billy was born with a heart defect and would immediately require surgery.
They took Billy in an ambulance to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where he had open heart surgery. "It was the longest three hours of my life," Kimmel tearfully told the audience. But the procedure went well, and six days later, they were able to take Billy home.
Kimmel thanked the doctors and nurses, along with his colleagues for being so supportive, and encouraged viewers to donate to the hospital. He threw in a few jokes ("I hate to say it, but even that son of a bitch Matt Damon sent flowers.") and assured his wife that he's definitely getting a vasectomy.
