On Monday, Jimmy Kimmel appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres show. He talked about the congenital heart disease his son was born with.
Although Kimmel is not the type of person that closes about this subject, considering he thinks it is an issue we need to address, he claims that it is difficult for him to talk about it.
“It’s embarrassing to me. I try not to cry,” Kimmel told Ellen during the show.
However, Ellen had a surprise for him, and it seemed to represent nothing but happiness to the proud father.
A light on the dark
Ellen, who already knew Kimmel, did not hold back to say that she considered him a great guy, and that it was very emotional for her to see him go through everything related to his son’s disease. Moments later, she surprised Kimmel saying that she and her viewers raised $1 million for the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles when Kimmel’s baby was going under heart surgery.
Ellen proceeded to explain that they called their friends at the Children’s Hospital LA – Billy’s surgeon among them -, and that they named one of the rooms of the Heart Institute floor in honor of the baby. Then, the cameras revealed the room, which had a recently-added sign that had “In Honor of Billy Kimmel” written on it.
After thanking Ellen and saying it meant a lot to him, Kimmel then wondered why he was hosting the Oscars this year. He said this ceremony was going to be very heavy for him, considering the several issues that were going to be addressed.
“This is a weird year because there are a lot of very serious things happening. Of course, the Oscars are still several days away. Who knows what’s gonna happen between now and then?… I don’t know why I do anything, really. I feel like maybe they [the Academy] felt sorry for me because I got caught up in the whole envelope thing. I just can’t say that enough,” Kimmel said.
All kids should have access to healthcare
Since Kimmel became aware of his baby’s condition, he turned his experience into a touching monologue. In here, he mentions that other children should have the same access to healthcare as Billy.
He addressed the issue many times and talked about Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who crafted a bill to pass a law that never went through.
Kimmel explained that Cassidy lied right to his face. He commented about the mass shooting in Parkland that President Trump had “literally done nothing.” He also mentioned the previous mass shooting held in Las Vegas, where he was born.
“Common sense says you don’t let those who suffer from mental illness buy guns,” Kimmel said.
Kimmel is earning criticism due to his outspokenness. Nevertheless, he keeps going into conversations that need to be spoken.
Source: USA Today