Gwen Stefani has the newest star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The mother of three was honored at the ceremony by record label executive Jimmy Iovine and manager Irving Azoff, along with her own husband, Blake Shelton.
“The first time I ever met Gwen was in 2014,” Shelton recalled as part of a heartfelt speech, remembering the first time he met her on the set of The Voice. “She wasn’t like any other famous person that I had ever met before. She drove herself to work in a black minivan, with car seats in it. She didn’t roll in with security.
“She came in with a baby and two little boys, which at the time worked like security, because nobody was going near her,” he added with a laugh. “It was chaos. It was clear to me that she was a mother, first and foremost over anything else in the world. That was her No. 1 job. And now, standing here almost ten years later after I first met her, I can say without question that being a mother is still the most important thing in her life. And I gotta tell you all, that’s rare in this business.”
While Stefani’s most important job might be taking care of her three sons — something Shelton says she excels at — the Grand Ole Opry member also praised her for her secondary job, one she also does with excellence.
“Today, it’s nice to see her honored for her side project, which is being one of the biggest stars in the world,” Shelton boasted. “In my opinion, Gwen is the perfect person to receive a star on the Walk of Fame. From music, television and movies, to fashion and beauty, she has risen to the top over and over again, with her unique style that has made the world fall in love with her. Not as much as me, though.”
The Oklahoma native also praised Stefani for her musical talents, especially as a songwriter.
“Songwriting is her favorite thing to do, and she happens to be exceptionally talented at it,” he said. “If you take a look at Gwen’s discography over the years, from the early days in No Doubt to her solo records, there’s one common denominator on 99 percent of the songs — Gwen Stefani is the songwriter. Gwen has blessed a lot of people’s lives with her songwriting talent, in more ways than one. I know firsthand that it takes a lot of people to make a hit record, but none of this would have ever happened without Gwen Stefani, the songwriter.”
Photo courtesy of NBC
Stefani reflected on her lengthy career, and what it meant to her to be celebrated for her numerous accomplishments.
“It means a lot because I think when you have such a long journey like I have … since I’m 17, I’ve been writing these songs,” the 54-year-old said. “I never thought anything would ever happen. Nine years being in the garage, doing what we wanted to do, not trying to make it, not trying to be a star, really. And next thing you know, here we are, a permanent star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. What? And it does feel like a flash,”
Reba McEntire, her fellow coach on this season of The Voice, also attended the ceremony. Last year, Stefani honored Shelton, when he received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Darius Rucker is also scheduled to receive a star, along with Mario Lopez, Sammy Hagar, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Chris Pine, Kerry Washington, the late Otis Redding, Def Leppard and Toni Braxton, among others.