‘It’s a terrifying thing’: Jimmy Kimmel breaks down recalling newborn son’s heart surgery

JIMMY Kimmel has broken down on his talk show as he recalled the “terrifying” experience of seeing his three-day-old son undergo open heart surgery.

COMEDIAN Jimmy Kimmel has broken down on his talk show overnight, sharing with viewers the complications that followed the birth of his son who was born with a congenital heart disease.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host tearfully recalled the “scary story” of how his wife, Molly McNearney, gave birth to their second child, William “Billy” Kimmel, 10 days ago and how at three days old the newborn underwent open heart surgery.

“He was an easy delivery — six pushes he was out. And he appeared to be a normal, healthy baby until about three hours after he was born,” Kimmel, 49, told the audience as he fought back tears.

Kimmel said the family were moved out of the delivery and into a recovery room when a nurse noticed “a murmur in his heart — which is common with newborn babies — but she also noticed he was a bit purple”.

Kimmel gets emotional while recalling the experience on his talk show.

Kimmel and his son were moved to another room.

“Now all of a sudden it felt serious,” he said. “The room started to fill up — more doctors and nurses and equipment started coming in. And they determined he wasn’t getting enough oxygen into his blood which, from what I understood at the time, was most likely one of two things: either his heart or his lungs.”

An X-ray determined Billy was born with a congenital heart disease and that there was a “hole in the wall of the left and right side of his heart”.

“So more doctors and nurses and equipment comes in and it’s a terrifying thing,” Kimmel said, breaking down.

William “Billy” Kimmel is now home with mum and dad.

Billy was taken by ambulance to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and, three days later, was successfully operated on.

Kimmel said his son will have to have “another open heart surgery in three to six months” and a third “less invasive” surgery in his early teens.

Six days after Billy’s birth, Kimmel and his wife were able to bring their son home.

The host got emotional again while thanking the doctors and nurses involved as well as family and friends for their support.

“I hate to say it — even that son of a bitch Matt Damon sent flowers,” he joked about his faux enemy.

Showing photos of his newborn son, Kimmel laughed: “Poor kid — not only did he get a bad heart he got my face.”

‘He got my face’ ... Billy and Jimmy at home.