Kelly Clarkson has officially received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Twenty years after winning the first season of American Idol, Kelly Clarkson finally received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony took place on September 19 on Hollywood Boulevard in front of her new star, the 2,733rd star on the Walk of Fame.
Producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Ana Martinez, said in a press release that Clarkson “has been long deserving of a spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
“She has been an iconic person in American pop culture since she walked onto the first audition stage on American Idol and has continued to impress fans with her musical and talk show prowess,” Martinez said.
Clarkson was joined by her two kids, River, 8, and Remington, 6, along with the original “American Idol” judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul.
American Idol posted a celebratory photo on Instagram.
“20 years later 🎤✨🤯 Our original #AmericanIdol 🤩@kellyclarkson🤩 gets her 🌟 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! 🙌 Congratulations!!!”
Since the start of her career, Clarkson has had numerous successes including a 2022 Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding entertainment talk show host, three Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards and two American Country Awards. Her total worldwide sales exceed 25 million albums and 40 million singles and is known for her hits “Since U Been Gone,” “Breakaway,” and “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).”
Clarkson told TODAY, “This is where I won 20 years ago. I feel very lucky and fortunate because I know a lot of talented people that love singing and are amazing at it and writing songs, and even talk show hosts — a lot of people could do that, and I just feel very fortunate that I get the chance. There are dreams you didn’t know you had and they end up happening and you feel super blessed.”
Television personality and record executive Simon Cowell reminisced on the first day of auditions and his relief after meeting Clarkson.
“I actually thought I was being punked on the first day,” Cowell recalled of the first day of auditions when he met Clarkson. “Paula resigned. Every singer was out of tune and it got worse, progressively. I thought, ‘This is an absolute disaster, why did we come here?’ And thank God, I remember the day we met you and I remember not just your voice, but your personality.”
Cowell then shared his gratitude towards Clarkson.
“Thanks to you, we may have another season. Thanks to you, I’m here today. You validated what we did. If we didn’t find a star, there’s no point in doing these shows.”
Clarkson is now one of five female singers who debuted in the 2000s to receive the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the recording category. Since her win on American Idol in 2002, Clarkson has made her way back to television with her Emmy Award-winning talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and The Voice as a judge for multiple seasons.
She then gushed that it was “the coolest thing ever” to see her children witness her being celebrated on the Walk of Fame.
“Like, right now, my son is standing on my star, and it’s crazy that I have a star on the Walk of Fame,” Clarkson added. “I never even thought, honestly, that I would have one one day, so it’s cool that my kid’s standing on it right now with an Aquaman trident!”
The Texas native quickly debuted her single, “A Moment Like This,” after winning the singing competition television series in 2002. She quickly jumped to #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, claiming the title of having the year’s best-selling single in the U.S. She has 17 singles with multi-platinum, platinum and gold certifications around the world, and has released nine studio albums throughout her career and one EP, one greatest hits album, and two children’s books.
Fans can watch season 4 of The Kelly Clarkson Show on NBC or stream it on Peacock.