INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Did Joe Walsh Actually Mock Jimmy Kimmel’s Baby’s Heart Condition?

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 04:30 PST, May 10, 2017

Former congressman Joe Walsh is being ripped apart by social media users for mocking Jimmy Kimmel son’s heart condition.

When Jimmy Kimmel went public with a tearful announcement last Monday night that his newborn son, Billy, had to undergo open-heart surgery at birth, supportive comments came rolling in.

But former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) felt the need to voice his own opinion on Twitter, a decision he probably later regretted.

Joe Walsh is being ripped apart by the media for seemingly mocking Jimmy Kimmel’s son Billy’s heart condition, after the Jimmy Kimmel Live host spoke about the importance of former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), which for years has had Americans split their opinions about the affordable healthcare act.

In his controversial tweet, which triggered an outpouring of furious criticism, Joe Walsh wrote that Jimmy Kimmel’s “sad story” does not “obligate me or anybody else to pay for somebody else’s health care.”

The seemingly heartless tweet comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration attempting to repeal or even cancel Obamacare, something that has drawn ire from millions of Americans.

Following the backlash and criticism from Americans directed at Trump’s attempts to repeal Obamacare, House Republicans pulled their bill in late March.

The future of Obamacare remains unknown, but supporters of the Affordable Care Act, including Jimmy Kimmel, are making a case for why it should be protected for all Americans.

Joe Walsh, who is now a syndicated radio host, does not seem to share Jimmy Kimmel’s opinion. His tweet set off waves of anger on Twitter not because he’s a critic of Obamacare, but because his tweet appeared to be mocking Kimmel’s son Billy’s heart defect.

Jimmy Kimmel’s newborn son underwent emergency surgery last Monday – just three days after he was born – after discovering that Billy had a heart condition called tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, according to ABC News.

While the first open-heart procedure went smoothly, Jimmy Kimmel’s son will have to undergo a second procedure within the next three to six months.

This prompted Jimmy Kimmel to go public with his support for Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act, which apparently allowed the late-night talk show host to get health insurance for Billy as his heart defect is a pre-existing condition.

“Before 2014, if you were born with congenital heart disease, like my son was, there’s a good chance you’d never be able to get health insurance because you had a pre-existing condition.”

But Joe Walsh was among those who were unmoved by Jimmy Kimmel’s story about his son, as the former congressman, whose net worth is estimated at $65 million, does not want to be obliged to pay for other people’s healthcare.

During the heartfelt monolog on his late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel made the point that “whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or something else” there is one thing Americans can agree on: the importance of protecting the health of their children.

“If your baby is going to die and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make.”

While Joe Walsh wasn’t impressed by Jimmy Kimmel’s heart-wrenching story, former U.S. President Obama took to Twitter to thank the Jimmy Kimmel Live host for endorsing Obamacare.

Many Twitter users reminded Joe Walsh about his $117,000 child support scandal from five years ago. Although the former congressman settled the scandal in 2012, Twitter users don’t have a short memory – certainly not comedian Patton Oswalt.

[Featured Image by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]

Share this article: Did Joe Walsh Actually Mock Jimmy Kimmel’s Baby’s Heart Condition?
jimmy kimmel Affordable Care Act
More from Inquisitr