Herbie Hancock on Friends Will Smith and Chris Rock: 'I'm Not Gonna Play Any Favorites'

Just call Herbie Hancock Switzerland in the Will Smith-Chris Rock drama.

Like many, the jazz icon was stunned by what he saw on the Oscars stage last weekend, but the incident was a little more personal to him since he's friends with both Smith and Rock.

"It's a very unfortunate situation, you know? I mean, they're both kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place," the 81-year-old told PEOPLE exclusively on Friday at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala in Las Vegas. "I don't want to be in the middle of that."

The famed composer has not reached out to either of his friends in the aftermath of the slap-heard-round-the-world, which occurred after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hairstyle (she has alopecia).

On one hand, Hancock understands Smith's reaction, but he also thinks there were alternative options.

RELATED VIDEO: Jada Pinkett Smith Breaks Silence After Will Smith Apologizes to Chris Rock

"That's a hard decision to make, you know, because that's Will's wife. The decision that you make is your decision. There's not like one path to take there. There was several," Hancock conveyed. "I mean, he could have just walked out, but he made that choice and I guess he's gonna have to live with the consequences."

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Despite winning best actor for his role in King Richard at the 2022 Oscars, Smith has since resigned from the Academy.

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Hancock, though, vowed to be there for both men, all while refusing to back either as right or wrong.

"They're both friends," he said, "so I'm not gonna play any favorites."