The talk show host and his wife Molly McNearney share footage of their 3-year-old son Billy's health battle to remind people how the result of the presidential election will determine the necessary health care.
- Oct 24, 2020
AceShowbiz - Jimmy Kimmel is using one issue close to his heart to encourage fellow Americans to vote. Sharing his 3-year-old son's medical journey since being born with a congenital heart condition, the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host reminded people what the November presidential election is all about.
While hosting the Thursday, October 22 episode of his talk show, the 52-year-old shared an emotional video made by his wife Molly McNearney that focused on Billy's health battle from his pre-existing condition. Introducing the segment, he told viewers, "We're two weeks away from the election, and there is so much more than the election on the line."
"I want to bring us back to focus on something we can't afford to forget, [which] is healthcare," the comedian continued. "The vast majority of this country believes that health insurance should cover Americans with pre-existing conditions." Noting that the Republican party plans "to do away with protections for pre-existing conditions," he added, "If they're allowed to do that, millions of people are gonna suffer."
Kimmel then offered to give viewers an insight into the needs for health care coverage. "My wife made a video that deals with our experience when it comes to preexisting conditions," he said before playing the clip of his son's story. "We'd like you to watch this and pass it around to anyone who may have forgotten what this election is really about."
In the video, Kimmel's wife disclosed that Billy was born with a congenital heart condition, tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. It required him to undergo three heart surgeries, one of which was done when he was just 3 days old. She also mentioned that their son had more than 60 doctors appointments during the three-year span of life.
"Families go broke trying to keep their loved ones alive. People die because they cannot afford to live," McNearney noted in the compiled clips. She then reminded that President Donald Trump wanted to remove the Affordable Care Act. Urging others to vote, she then wrote, "Moms, don't forget. Please vote." She concluded by stating, "Americans take care of one another. Vote with your heart."
Kimmel made public his son's medical issue back in May 2017. During an emotional monologue on his late night talk show, he asked his audience, "If your baby is going to die and it doesn't have to, it shouldn't matter how much money you make. I think that's something that whether you're a Republican or a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right?"
