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Jimmy Kimmel’s wife has shared a touching picture of the comedian and their newborn son Billy after his emotional monologue pleading for the continuance of Obamacare went viral.
Kimmel and his wife Molly NcNearney, a head writer on the late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live fronted by her husband, welcomed their son William 'Billy' Kimmel at the end of April.
On his show on Sunday, Kimmel tearfully explained to his studio audience that three hours after Billy was born with the heart disease Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with pulmonary atresia meaning he had to have open heart surgery.
On Monday, McNearney shared a photo of Kimmel and a smiling Billy in hospital and thanked both her baby and husband for their bravery.
Kimmel, who explained Billy will need two further operations throughout childhood because of the disease, used his account to rally for the continuance of the affordable care act. He commended Congress for vetoing President Donald Trump’s planned $6 billion cuts to the national institute of health and giving the body a $2 billion raise instead.
“If you’re baby is going to die and it doesn’t have to it shouldn’t matter how much money you make. Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that right?... Don’t let bipartisan squabbles divide us on something
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“No parent should ever have to decide whether they can afford to save their child’s life. It shouldn’t happen,” he said.
Following his plea, former President Barack Obama – who implemented the policy – tweeted his support for Kimmel explaining: “That’s exactly why we fought so hard for the ACA and why we need to protect it for kids like Billy”.
In response, McNearney joked “someone is angling to be Billy’s godfather”.
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