diff --git a/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/indexing/MSQControllerTask.java b/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/indexing/MSQControllerTask.java
index 76d079348be..9e59f6c6257 100644
--- a/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/indexing/MSQControllerTask.java
+++ b/extensions-core/multi-stage-query/src/main/java/org/apache/druid/msq/indexing/MSQControllerTask.java
@@ -38,12 +38,10 @@ import org.apache.druid.indexing.common.task.AbstractTask;
 import org.apache.druid.indexing.common.task.Tasks;
 import org.apache.druid.java.util.common.ISE;
 import org.apache.druid.java.util.common.StringUtils;
-import org.apache.druid.java.util.common.concurrent.Execs;
 import org.apache.druid.msq.exec.Controller;
 import org.apache.druid.msq.exec.ControllerContext;
 import org.apache.druid.msq.exec.ControllerImpl;
 import org.apache.druid.msq.exec.MSQTasks;
-import org.apache.druid.msq.util.MultiStageQueryContext;
 import org.apache.druid.rpc.ServiceClientFactory;
 import org.apache.druid.rpc.StandardRetryPolicy;
 import org.apache.druid.rpc.indexing.OverlordClient;
@@ -52,8 +50,6 @@ import org.joda.time.Interval;
 import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
-import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
-import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
 
 @JsonTypeName(MSQControllerTask.TYPE)
 public class MSQControllerTask extends AbstractTask
@@ -74,8 +70,6 @@ public class MSQControllerTask extends AbstractTask
   // Enables users, and the web console, to see the original SQL type names (if any). Not used by any other Druid logic.
   @Nullable
   private final List<String> sqlTypeNames;
-  @Nullable
-  private final ExecutorService remoteFetchExecutorService;
 
   // Using an Injector directly because tasks do not have a way to provide their own Guice modules.
   @JacksonInject
@@ -106,13 +100,6 @@ public class MSQControllerTask extends AbstractTask
     this.sqlQueryContext = sqlQueryContext;
     this.sqlTypeNames = sqlTypeNames;
 
-    if (MultiStageQueryContext.isDurableStorageEnabled(querySpec.getQuery().context())) {
-      this.remoteFetchExecutorService =
-          Executors.newCachedThreadPool(Execs.makeThreadFactory(getId() + "-remote-fetcher-%d"));
-    } else {
-      this.remoteFetchExecutorService = null;
-    }
-
     addToContext(Tasks.FORCE_TIME_CHUNK_LOCK_KEY, true);
   }
 
@@ -198,10 +185,6 @@ public class MSQControllerTask extends AbstractTask
     if (controller != null) {
       controller.stopGracefully();
     }
-    if (remoteFetchExecutorService != null) {
-      // This is to make sure we don't leak connections.
-      remoteFetchExecutorService.shutdownNow();
-    }
   }
 
   @Override