The original hosts of "American Idol" reunited on Monday as Kelly Clarkson, the show's first winner, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
During her speech, Clarkson, 40, thanked the "American Idol" judges for being honest with her "from the beginning" of her career on the show.
"I think [it's] important to have not just 'yes' people around you, but people that actually love you and care about you and give their honest advice. I've always welcomed that and I think that's why I'm here today," Clarkson said.
"Not just because of myself but because of having constantly teams of people that love you and support you and really want to make your dreams come true while making their dreams come true."
During the ceremony, Cowell said that Clarkson "validated" "American Idol" in its first season."If we didn't find a star, there's no point in doing these shows," he said.
"And I could never predict what was going to happen then and I remember sitting there talking to the record label at the time, I said, 'I don't think you realize what you signed here, this girl has steel in her eyes.'"
"20 years later... Our original #AmericanIdol @kellyclarkson gets her [star] on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!" the show captioned an Instagram photo showing Clarkson posing with Cowell, Abdul and Jackson.
"Congratulations!!!"
After her win on "American Idol," Clarkson went on to record hit singles including "A Moment Like This," Since U Been Gone,"My Life Would Suck Without You" and "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)."
She has been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards, winning three times.
Clarkson currently hosts "The Kelly Clarkson Show" on NBC and has won Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
