'Mad Men' Creator Matthew Weiner on Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt's Split: 'I Wish Them Both the Best'

After working on seven seasons of Mad Men with Jon Hamm, show creator Matthew Weiner only wants what’s best for the actor.

Since Hamm announced his split from actress Jennifer Westfeldt after 18 years together, Weiner has had a chance “check in” with him.

“It’s a personal thing for him, and he’s a public person, I guess, so it’s an issue,” he told PEOPLE at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday of Hamm’s struggles during this tough time.

But Weiner knows the star will be just fine.

“All I can say is I wish him the best. I wish them both the best,” says Weiner, 50. “They’re both incredibly talented, wonderful people. They’ll both find happiness, there’s no doubt in my mind.”

Though Weiner has been able to stay in touch with the stars of his hit AMC show, he says it’s been both “bittersweet” as they’ve moved on to different projects and a bit of a relief that the show has ended.

“I felt a little bit freed by the finale. I was thrilled with the reaction and little bit surprised at how well it went over,” he says with a laugh.

And as he’s had to time to “recharge,” Weiner truly got to realize “how rare someone like the people I work with are.”

So what’s next for him?

“I’m going to do a number of things,” he says. “I find that when I watch a lot of what’s on, they are not TV series and some of that’s exciting, and some of its frustrating. So I’m looking forward to having a chance to experiment.”