Jimmy Kimmel made an emotional return to his show with the help of his son

His seven-month-old son Billy has undergone his second heart surgery

Jimmy Kimmel made an emotional return to his show Monday - one full of thankfulness, alongside an entreaty to act.

The host had taken a week off due to his son Billy's second heart surgery, with celeb pals Chris Pratt, Tracee Ellis Ross, Neil Patrick Harris, and Melissa McCarthy helping to fill in.

His return now saw him introduce audiences to the 7-month-old Billy himself, as Kimmel fought back tears as he thanked the doctors and nurses at Children's Hospital, not just for treating Billy but for helping "children from every income level, whose health is especially threatened right now, because of something you've probably never heard of".

He went on to explain the Children's Health Insurance Program which, as he stated, "covers around 9 million American kids whose parents made too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but don't have access to affordable coverage due to their jobs, meaning it almost certainly covers children you know."

It passed in 2015 with support both from Democrats and Republicans but has now come under threat thanks to the new tax plans. "Merry Christmas, right?" Kimmel punctuated his explanation with, as he stated Congress failed to approve funding for CHIP several weeks ago.

"Imagine getting that letter, literally not knowing how you'll be able to afford to save your child's life. That's not a hypothetical, about 2 million CHIP kids have serious chronic conditions," he added, stating his disgust in Congress letting this "life and death programme" slide.

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