Conan O’Brien‘s joke writer wants everyone who missed the comedic timing of his Oscars bit about Kendrick Lamar and Drake‘s beef to just say that — there was no malice on the host’s part!!!

Skyler Higley, who penned the part about needing to “call Drake a pedophile” after the commercial break, tells TMZ Hip Hop … “The idea that it’s being taken as a real call-out or taking sides in any way in the beef is absurd.”

Social media immediately started buzzing with accusations Conan joined the Drake hate train in favor of Kendrick Lamar … but Higley’s been writing jokes for Conan since his late-night TV show days and says he knows a master at work when he sees one.

He says the joke was simply a reference to Kendrick’s Super Bowl performance and a cultural moment of the past year.

DJ Akademiks didn’t take it that way and he’s currently trying to paint Conan as Drake enemy number 1 to his audience.