Jimmy Kimmel Says Son Billy, 5, is ‘Doing Great’ After Heart Surgeries – PEOPLE

Jimmy Kimmel‘s son is doing great.

On Saturday, the talk show host, 54, attended the 2022 Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Gala with his wife, Molly McNearney. He spoke with reporters about their 5-year-old son, Billy, who was born with a congenital heart condition and has been treated at the hospital.

“He’s doing great. He still needs one open-heart surgery, but he’s doing great,” Kimmel said, adding that Billy is “one big reason” for the couple to attend and support the charity.

“He’s not that big,” Kimmel joked. “He’s about three feet tall.”

He also noted that his son wasn’t all that interested in galas — or even his own procedures.

“He has no idea what we’re up to [tonight], nor would he care,” Kimmel laughed. “I tried to explain the heart surgery to him because he has a bit of scar down the center of his chest, and he has almost no interest.”

Kimmel and McNearney, 43, overcame a hard first year with their baby boy, as he had to undergo three heart surgeries (one when he was just three days old) after he was born with the congenital heart condition, tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia.

The late-night host told reporters that supporting the hospital came from a personal place.

“Our son, Billy, had two open-heart surgeries here, he was born with two heart defects, and they fixed them up real good, so we’re very grateful,” Kimmel explained.

He also said that although he’s been involved with the charity since “long before” Billy was born, they never thought their family would be receiving care from the organization.

“We never imagined that this organization that we’d supported financially and by hosting events for them would be a place that we needed to go — so that came as a bit of a shock, but it all worked out,” he told reporters.

Kimmel celebrated his son’s fifth birthday in April by posting a sweet message on Instagram, in which he expressed his appreciation for the doctors and nurses that helped to save Billy.

“Happy 5th birthday to our little nut. 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,” Kimmel wrote. “Please support families who need medical care. Link in bio. 💙”

In the adorable photo, Billy smiled as he sat in front of a small cake decorated with three birthday candles.

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The talk show host — who also shares daughter Jane, 7, with McNearney and has two older children, Kevin and Katie, from a previous relationship — first opened up about his son’s situation in May 2017, with a tearful monologue on his show. And in April 2018,