By Dave Itzkoff
New York Times
October 15, 2017
In the up-and-down landscape of late-night television, Jimmy Kimmel has lately found himself at the top of a crowded field. In his 15th season at ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, he has gained new visibility as a result of monologues in which he has addressed sweeping news events in intimately personal terms. In May, a few days after his newborn son, Billy, underwent emergency open-heart surgery, Mr. Kimmel was on the air urging against any health care reform that would deny coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions.
Mr. Kimmel returned to the topic in September amid debate over reform measures introduced by Senate Republicans, including Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who had said he wanted legislation that would pass what he called the “Jimmy Kimmel test.” Mr. Cassidy had explained this to mean, “Would a child born with a congenital heart disease be able to get everything she or he would need in that first year of life?” Mr. Kimmel said in a monologue that Mr. Cassidy had “lied right to my face”; the bill was never brought to a vote.