Regina King and Jimmy Kimmel Tear Up in First Interview Together Since Her Son's Death: 'You've Been Through a Lot'

"I know you've been through a lot the last year," Kimmel told King, before she responded while holding his hand, "It's good to see you, Jimmy"

Jimmy Kimmel and Regina King shared a touching moment during the actress's first appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live since the death of her son more than two years ago.

King, 53, appeared on Thursday's episode to promote her new film Shirley and was greeted by Kimmel, 56, "It's very good to see you. How are you doing right now?"

"Right now, I'm good," she responded with a smile.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that," said the host, getting choked up. "I know you've been through a lot the last year."

"Yeah," King replied before leaning over to take Kimmel's hand, giving him another smile and saying, "It's good to see you, Jimmy."

After an emotional pause, Kimmel joked, "Did you see William Shatner backstage?" causing his guest and the audience to let out a collective laugh.

Related: Regina King Says She’s a ‘Different Person’ Now 2 Years After Son’s Death: ‘Grief Is a Journey’

King's son Ian died by suicide in January 2022, shortly after his 26th birthday. He is the actress's only child, whom she shared with record producer Ian Alexander Sr., her ex-husband.

In a recent interview with Robin Roberts, which aired on Good Morning America last week, King admitted that "sometimes a lot of guilt comes over" her to this day.

"When a parent loses a child, you still wonder, 'What could I have done so that wouldn't have happened?' " the Oscar winner said.

Since his death, King has had "the time to just sit with Ian's choice" — and now, "I respect and understand that he didn't want to be here anymore," she told Roberts, 63. "And that's a hard thing for other people to receive, because they did not live our experience, did not live Ian's journey."

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"It's important to me to honor Ian the totality of who he is — I speak about him in the present, because he is always with me. And the joy and happiness that he gave all of us," she also said.

In a recent cover story for Harper’s BAZAAR, King shared, "I feel like I am in a place now where my faith has really been challenged,” while opening up about life since Ian died.

"I don’t know that I should say this, because I feel like it’s where I used to be, but that idea that what you put into it is what you get back — it’s been proven to me that that’s not necessarily true," she continued.

“When I look at all of the work and everything that we and Ian put into trying to move through the depression … I mean, he’s pure joy and pure light,” the Harder They Fall actress added of her son, who was a DJ and performing musician.

Related: Regina King Honors Late Son Ian Alexander Jr., 1 Year After His Death: 'My Guiding Light'

“But he was struggling so much. We knew. We knew what we were going through, but he never presented that way," King continued of Ian's experience with depression. "That’s why I know that a smile doesn’t always mean happy. He would never not let whoever he was with feel like they were the most special person in the world."

"So for me, I’m like, ‘Man, he was putting a lot into things, a lot into people, a lot into this world, and yet it wasn’t translating back,' " she said.

Shirley is now streaming on Netflix.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

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