Jimmy Kimmel Has Teary Reunion With Regina King 2 Years After Her Son’s Death
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Jimmy Kimmel and Regina King shared a tender moment together during a recent taping of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
On Thursday, the late night show host choked up as he greeted King. The Oscar winner’s son, Ian Alexander Jr., died in January 2022.
“How are you doing right now?” Kimmel asked King.
“Right now? I’m good,” she responded.
“Good, I’m glad to hear that. I know you’ve been through a lot the last year,” the host said as he fought back tears.
King then grabbed Kimmel’s hand and said: “It’s good to see you, Jimmy.”
“It’s good to see you, too,” he responded.
Kimmel then switched gears and asked King if she saw her former “Miss Congeniality” co-star, William Shatner, backstage, which made the actor laugh.
King discussed Ian’s death in an interview for the first time earlier this month.
During an appearance on “Good Morning America,” she said that she’s become a “different person” since the loss of her son, who died by suicide at age 26.
“Grief is a journey. I understand that grief is love that has no place to go,” she told co-anchor Robin Roberts. “I know that it’s important to me to honor Ian in the totality of who he is, speak about him in the present, because he is always with me, and the joy and happiness that he gave all of us.”
“When it comes to depression, people expect it to look a certain way,” King later continued. “And they expect it to look heavy.”
“To have to experience this and not be able to have the time to just sit with Ian’s choice, which I respect and understand, you know, that he didn’t want to be here anymore,” she added. “That’s a hard thing for other people to receive because they did not live our experience, did not live Ian’s journey.”
King paid tribute to Ian on Instagram in January last year.
She shared a video that showed an orange sky latern floating in the sky, noting in the post’s caption that orange was her son’s favorite color.
“As we still process his physical absence, we celebrate his presence,” she wrote at the time.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
