Everyone is talking about Jimmy Kimmel’s emotional plea during the monologue of his Monday night talk show. And by everyone, we also mean former President Barack Obama.
During his monologue, a tearful Kimmel revealed that his newborn son suffers from a life-threatening heart condition and that only the intervention of a mindful nurse at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles saved his young son’s life. After sharing before and after photos, Kimmel then used the powerful moment to advocate for the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), saying that all Americans should have access to the great health care and doctors that helped to save his son’s life:
“If your baby is going to die, and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make,” Kimmel said. “I think that’s something that, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right? … This isn’t football. There are no teams. We are the team—it’s the United States. Don’t let their partisan squabbles divide us on something every decent person wants.”
Well, it didn’t take long for Obama to respond with a tweet has immediately gone viral, with the former president writing:
“Well said, Jimmy. That’s exactly why we fought so hard for the ACA, and why we need to protect it for kids like Billy. And congratulations!”
Kimmel’s monologue was also praised by Hillary Clinton, who said it showed “what’s at stake” during the ongoing negotiations over a possible repeal and replacement of Obamacare.
The viral video also comes on the same day that President Trump himself reportedly told Republicans that he wants a health care bill that protects people with preexisting conditions, something critics say the current version of the bill making its way around Congress would fail to enforce.
