Tons of celebrities attended Simon Cowell’s Hollywood Star ceremony

Simon Cowell is famous for many reasons, but mostly notably for being a tough judge on “American Idol” and “The X Factor,” as well as executive producer of “America’s Got Talent.” In these roles, he’s been responsible for launching dozens of successful careers in the music industry.

But on Aug. 22, the spotlight was on him when friends, family and singers whose careers he started all gathered to celebrate Cowell earning a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Kelly Clarkson, who was the very first “American Idol” winner, gave a speech to honor the British reality TV judge. She noted how she and Cowell “started out together” thanks to their appearance on the first season of “American Idol,” so naturally, the two share a bond.

“Literally, we were right here 16 years ago when this man helped change my life,” Clarkson said. From there, Cowell went on to help many other singers get their start due to his ability to find “authentic people that have a raw talent and are really themselves and that’s all they really know how to be,” she said.

You can watch Clarkson’s full speech here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcyRVQjrb14&t=34s

To prove Clarkson’s point, many others showed up to support Cowell. Of course, he had his family — his partner Lauren Silverman, their son Eric, and Silverman’s son Adam — by his side:

Other industry professionals turned up for the occasion, too, including the “America’s Got Talent” judges:

Louis Tomlinson, whose group One Direction originated out of the UK’s “X Factor,” also attended the event:

British singer-songwriter Leona Lewis, another “X Factor” winner, posed with Cowell on the red carpet:

“American Idol” winner Adam Lambert was there to show his support, too:

Cowell was humbled by all that showed up for him.

“If anyone says fame is a bad thing, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said in a speech. “It’s the best thing in the world.”

Of course, he managed to slip in a joke about this moment taking its sweet time. “Why did this take so long?” he teased.

Nevertheless, he described the honor as “a little bit surreal” and “a bit emotional” in an interview with E! News:

In a lot of ways, Cowell’s career has been a dream come true. “It was a thrill to watch American TV, let alone be on American TV,” he said when asked if he ever could have imagined he’d wind up where he is today.

Congratulations to Cowell on this major accomplishment!