Kanye West surprised viewers of Sunday night’s Grammys by reprising his infamous stunt of taking the stage to tell the Best Album winner that Beyonce was the deserving recipient. West told Beck that he should “respect artistry” and just give the trophy to the ‘Single Ladies’ singer, an action which “All of Me” crooner John Legend controversially supported and called “funny.”

Legend told Us Weekly after the award show that West’s interruption “didn’t hurt anybody,” and stated that “anybody who’s upset just needs to relax. It was funny.” The 36-year-old musician went on to say that Beck is super talented and that he has “several of his albums” and has “listened to him for a long time,” but that wasn’t enough to pacify the Beck fans who were furious that he seemingly approved of West’s offensive stunt.

After receiving a large amount of criticism for his initial Us Weekly interview, Legend gave the magazine an exclusive follow-up statement to apologize and state that he isn’t choosing sides.

“I want to clarify my thoughts on Kanye’s actions at the Grammys on Sunday,” stated Legend. “First of all, Kanye is my friend. He believed in me years ago when very few did, and I wouldn’t be here without his support. That doesn’t mean we’ll agree on everything, but it does mean that I am grateful to him. And I also believe he is one of the most gifted people I’ve had the privilege of working with.”

Legend clarified that he thought West was just trying to make fun of himself for his “infamous behavior,” and that he and several other people in the room saw it as funny.

“When I said that was funny and people should lighten up about it, that’s what I meant,” said Legend. “I wasn’t referring to Kanye’s comments after the show, which I have now seen and heard. I disagree with those comments.”

Legend then praised Beck for being a “true artist’s artist,” and called him “a multi-instrumentalist” and “a creative and unique singer-songwriter.”

“We can all debate who we thought should have won. But even if you didn’t vote for him, plenty of our colleagues in the music business did,” he concluded. “These voters are all creators who love music and have dedicated their lives to it, and the plurality of them chose Beck as the Album of the Year. I respect their decision and congratulate Beck on this outstanding accomplishment.”