Jason Halbert, one of her Walk of Fame presenters, is the music director of "The Kelly Clarkson Show". Clarkson will be celebrating with close friends on Hollywood Blvd. as she receives the honor on Sept. 19.  The global superstar has been surrounded by much of the same team for the entirety of her two-decade career — from her lawyer to her music director, Jason Halbert, one of her Walk of Fame presenters, who started working with Clarkson in 2003 right after the singer won "Idol."  But when COVID delayed those plans, the ceremony was pushed to this month, which brings a little serendipity to this moment.

“I’ve had a front-row seat to some of the most amazing moments in music history with her,” Halbert says. “It never gets old for me. And 20 years later, I remain foremost a fan.”

Also set to be in attendance: original “Idol” judge Simon Cowell. In 2018, Clarkson presented Cowell with his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and four years later, Cowell will return the favor at Clarkson’s ceremony. It’s the passing of the baton for the unlikely duo — a hard-nosed Brit and a sunny Texas girl — who have known each other since Cowell helped discover Clarkson as that first American Idol.

“It’s crazy!” Clarkson exclaims when looking back on 20 years. “But it feels like 40. That was a lifetime ago.”

Cowell is not at all surprised by Clarkson’s success. He believes she would have found fame even without the show, and not just because of her great pipes.

Circling back to Clarkson’s momentous career milestone getting a star on the Walk of Fame, Cowell says, “20 years after all this happens, who’s to say what’s going to happen in the future? I would love to work with Kelly on something. Anytime she’s asked me to do something, I always do it, as she’s always been the first to hold her hand up when something’s happened to me, So, I think it’s sort of naturally going to happen one day.”