On Monday, March 24, Yearwood, 60, cemented her status as a Hollywood star and was honored with a ceremony with loved ones by her side.

During the ceremony, country singers Carly Pearce and Reba McEntire delivered speeches dedicated to Yearwood. Though Brooks, 63, didn’t speak at the ceremony, he sat by Yearwood’s side and was wiping away his tears throughout the speeches.

When it was Yearwood’s turn to take the podium, she dedicated a portion of her speech to her husband of two decades.

Yearwood began that portion of the speech by saying she has “a lot of Garths in my life” but “the first Garth that I met is here.”

She added of the “Friends in Low Places” singer, “That one has really been a cheerleader and as many accolades and awards as he has won, I never see him get more excited than he does when I receive something.”

“For all the people that want this for me, nobody wants it more than you. I appreciate you for being my support,” she concluded.

Indeed, Brooks spoke highly of Yearwood last fall, when she received the ACM Honors Icon Award in October.

“I was just so proud. I’m always proud of her, but to see and hear her recognized like that – and to hear people use the word ‘icon’ in the same breath as her name – just took me someplace new,” Brooks wrote of Yearwood’s most recent honor on his website.

“She is an icon. I know what a world-class talent and force she is…and we all know what an incredible vocalist she is…but I love it when others really take notice, too.”

Yearwood’s ceremony comes months after Brooks was hit with a lawsuit by his former makeup artist who claims that he raped and sexually assaulted her.

The makeup artist, who filed in October 2024 as Jane Roe, allegedly began working for Brooks in 2017 and claims she had worked for Yearwood since 1999. She claims the inappropriate behavior began in 2019 with Brooks allegedly exposing himself, sending sexually explicit text messages and changing clothes in front of her.

Brooks has denied the claims made against him and is alleging extortion from the accuser.

“For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars,” Brooks said in a statement to PEOPLE. “It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face.”

“Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money. In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of—ugly acts no human should ever do to another,” the statement continued.

“We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides.”

“I want to play music tonight,” Brooks concluded. “I want to continue our good deeds going forward. It breaks my heart these wonderful things are in question now. I trust the system, I do not fear the truth, and I am not the man they have painted me to be.”

The couple — who met in 1987 and got married in 2005 — also made an appearance together at President Jimmy Carter‘s funeral in January, where they performed a rendition of “Imagine” by John Lennon. Additionally, they performed on the Opry 100 special earlier this month in Nashville.