Terry Crews Says Will Smith & Chris Rock Are Both “Dear, Dear Friends” of His; Says Rock Saved Hollywood by Keeping His Composure

Actor Terry Crews isn’t in the business of picking sides, at least not in the Will Smith and Chris Rock situation.

The Emmy Award nominee, 53, was on the fence about the infamous incident. He applauded Rock’s composure amid the embarrassing moment while also declining to “demonize” Smith when he spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his upcoming memoir, Tough: My True Journey to Power.

“Both Will Smith and Chris Rock are dear, dear friends of mine,” he told the THR in the story published Friday. “I love them both as brothers, but there was a time in my life [where] I was Will Smith at that moment, and let me tell you, I’ve done worse than Will.”

“Way overkill, just … the punishment did not fit the crime. Like, people were like, ‘What in the world are you doing?’ My wife even had to be like, ‘You got to promise me you will never go off like this. You did not need to pick this man up and put him on his head, on the concrete,’ ” Crews recounted.

He also feels Rock, 57, “saved Hollywood” when he kept his composure during the live broadcast after Smith, 53, walked on stage and smacked him in front of the audience of fellow entertainers.

“When I look back, by what Chris did, by just deciding to hold everything together, it actually, I think in a lot of ways saved Hollywood,” Crews explained. “Because if there would’ve been a brawl on that stage, I don’t know if Hollywood would’ve ever gotten any respect again, you know? It’s hard to even imagine what would’ve happened.”

Crews also praised his former Everybody Hates Chris costar and recalled his own upbringing in Flint, Michigan, where he says he found himself in both Smith and Rock’s shoes plenty of times, PEOPLE reported.

“The definition of toughness where I grew up and the way I was, it was always the ability to strike, the ability to punch, the ability to set things straight, to even the score,” he said. “But the true definition of toughness was what Chris did in taking a punch and then holding everything together and then showing tremendous endurance and resilience in the middle of obstacles.”

“I think it was a miracle what Chris did. I really do. I couldn’t believe his poise at that moment. I thought, holy cow, we owe him a lot. I think every performer owes him so much because it just really saved Hollywood in that moment. I’m very thankful to Chris, but also I understand Will. I’m not [one] to demonize Will at all because I was there,” Crews added.

Crews’ memoir Tough: My Journey to True Power will be published on Tuesday.