Regina King Offers Sweet Gesture to Jimmy Kimmel During Conversation After Her Son's Death

Jimmy Kimmel is sharing in Regina King's heartache.

During the Oscar winner's first appearance on the late-night host's eponymous talk show since the death of her son Ian Alexander Jr. in January 2022, she and Jimmy shared a subtle, heartfelt moment together.

"It's very good to see you," Jimmy said as Regina took her seat next to him during the March 21 episode. "How are you doing right now?"

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

While he didn't explicitly mention Ian during the interview, an emotional Jimmy expressed, "Good, I'm glad to hear that. I know you've been through a lot the last year."

During the moving exchange, Regina reached out and grabbed Jimmy's hand, adding that it was good to see him.

Ian—whom the actress shared with ex-husband Ian Alexander Sr.—died by suicide in January 2022, days after his 26th birthday.

And over the past few months, the If Beale Street Could Talk star has been candid about her journey with grief.

"I understand that grief is love that has no place to go," she recently said on Good Morning America. "I know that it's important to me to honor Ian, the totality of who he is, speak about him in the present, because he is always with me."

And while she's be working through her grief, the 53-year-old has also reflected on the guilt she's felt.

"When a parent loses a child, you still wonder, 'What could I have done so that wouldn't have happened?'" she continued. "I know that I share this grief with everyone."

"But no one else is Ian's mom," she added. "Only me. And so, it's mine and the sadness will never go away. It will always be with me."