Orville Peck Responds to Pal Diplo's Sexuality Comments: He's 'Allowed' to 'Explore Whoever He Is'

Orville Peck is supporting his friend Diplo.

Last month, the DJ-producer set the internet abuzz when he revealed that he's received oral sex from a man before. After those comments went viral, many fans took to social media to ship Diplo and his longtime friend, country singer Peck, who is gay.

While Peck has no response to fans shipping them, "I will say that he is a very sweet guy and he's very open-minded, and I think he — just like any of us in the world — should be allowed the freedom and the space to explore whoever he is going to be or wants to be," Peck, 35, tells PEOPLE of Diplo, 44.

"And none of us need to police it or worry about it," Peck adds. "He can have his own path and journey."

Diplo — who has previously dated M.I.A. and Katy Perry — made the headline-fueling comments while discussing his sexuality on Emily Ratajkowski's High Low podcast.

"I don't want to define that I'm gay, but I think the best answer I have is I'm not not gay," Diplo said at the time. "There's a couple guys that I'd be like, 'I could date this guy… life partner-wise.' I'm not really aroused by men that much, that I know about."

The EDM star and the country singer have been friends for years, and Peck was featured on the Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Chapter 1 - Snake Oil album in 2020, the same year they appeared together on the cover of the LGBTQ magazine Attitude.

Peck — who with Mickey Guyton and Jimmie Allen serves as a talent scout and mentor on the Apple TV+ singing competition My Kind of Country — has been open about challenges he's faced as an openly queer artist in a more traditionally conservative genre.

"It was a lot of people practically laughing in my face, telling me that being an openly gay man in country would never work," Peck told PEOPLE of breaking into the industry. "I've met very discouraging moments in my career. But I just kept my chin up, and I refused to let anybody tell me that I couldn't do what I wanted. If someone tells me I can't do something, it makes me want to do it even more."

For more from Orville Peck, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now.