Jimmy Kimmel is reportedly considering stepping away from his late-night television show to focus more on his son Billy's ongoing battle with congenital heart defects.

Several sources close to the matter revealed this week that Kimmel plans to exit Jimmy Kimmel Live! when his contract concludes in 2025, aiming to prioritize family time with his wife Molly McNearney, who serves as the show's co-head writer.

Radar Online revealed that Kimmel's decision stems from his son Billy's health challenges, particularly following Billy's recent third open-heart surgery. however, he is a “healthy kid” now.

“We went into this experience with a lot of optimism and nearly as much fear and came out with a new valve inside a happy, healthy kid,” the Late Night host posted the news on Instagram in late May.

According to Radar Online sources, the Kimmels are preparing for a shift away from the spotlight. One insider shared, “Jimmy and his wife are putting family above fame. With their financial future set, they’re ready to leave the limelight to focus on what really matters.”

“Life’s too short to waste on a job that no longer sparks joy.”

Kimmel's publicist refuted the report

Despite Kimmel's publicist dismissing the report as “silly” and refuting any discussions about his potential departure, “especially given his son’s recent surgery”.

Perez Hilton reported an insider's quote: “Though they’ll likely stay busy producing and developing shows behind the scenes, their main focus will be spending precious time with their family.”

Kimmel first publicly disclosed Billy's congenital heart condition in 2017 shortly after his birth, sharing the challenges faced by their family. “They did an echocardiogram, which is a sonogram of the heart, and found that Billy was born with a heart disease,” Kimmel revealed on his show.

“Something called tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. Basically, the pulmonary valve was completely blocked, and he has a hole in the wall between the left and right sides of his heart.”

Billy underwent his first successful open-heart surgery just three days after birth, followed by a second procedure a few months later. The most recent surgery, the third for Billy, occurred last month at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Read Also: 5 things to know about sonakshi sinha's wedding with zaheer iqbal: date, venue, 'no red' dress code and more