diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/user-status-picker.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/user-status-picker.js
index 691a4e683c3..602f4b1679b 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/user-status-picker.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/user-status-picker.js
@@ -8,12 +8,18 @@ export default class UserStatusPicker extends Component {
   tagName = "";
   isFocused = false;
   emojiPickerIsActive = false;
-  emoji = null;
-  description = null;
 
-  @computed("emoji")
+  didInsertElement() {
+    this._super(...arguments);
+
+    if (!this.status) {
+      this.set("status", {});
+    }
+  }
+
+  @computed("status.emoji")
   get emojiHtml() {
-    const emoji = escapeExpression(`:${this.emoji}:`);
+    const emoji = escapeExpression(`:${this.status.emoji}:`);
     return emojiUnescape(emoji);
   }
 
@@ -24,7 +30,7 @@ export default class UserStatusPicker extends Component {
 
   @action
   emojiSelected(emoji) {
-    this.set("emoji", emoji);
+    this.set("status.emoji", emoji);
     this.set("emojiPickerIsActive", false);
 
     scheduleOnce("afterRender", () => {
@@ -44,8 +50,8 @@ export default class UserStatusPicker extends Component {
 
   @action
   setDefaultEmoji() {
-    if (!this.emoji) {
-      this.set("emoji", "speech_balloon");
+    if (!this.status.emoji) {
+      this.set("status.emoji", "speech_balloon");
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/controllers/user-status.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/controllers/user-status.js
index c438ac9c0d2..b4a1bc61f35 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/controllers/user-status.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/controllers/user-status.js
@@ -12,25 +12,18 @@ import {
 
 export default Controller.extend(ModalFunctionality, {
   userStatusService: service("user-status"),
-
-  emoji: null,
-  description: null,
-  endsAt: null,
-
   showDeleteButton: false,
   prefilledDateTime: null,
   timeShortcuts: null,
   _itsatrap: null,
 
   onShow() {
-    const status = this.currentUser.status;
+    const currentStatus = { ...this.currentUser.status };
     this.setProperties({
-      emoji: status?.emoji,
-      description: status?.description,
-      endsAt: status?.ends_at,
-      showDeleteButton: !!status,
+      status: currentStatus,
+      showDeleteButton: !!this.currentUser.status,
       timeShortcuts: this._buildTimeShortcuts(),
-      prefilledDateTime: status?.ends_at,
+      prefilledDateTime: currentStatus?.ends_at,
     });
 
     this.set("_itsatrap", new ItsATrap());
@@ -42,7 +35,7 @@ export default Controller.extend(ModalFunctionality, {
     this.set("timeShortcuts", null);
   },
 
-  @discourseComputed("emoji", "description")
+  @discourseComputed("status.emoji", "status.description")
   statusIsSet(emoji, description) {
     return !!emoji && !!description;
   },
@@ -69,18 +62,18 @@ export default Controller.extend(ModalFunctionality, {
 
   @action
   onTimeSelected(_, time) {
-    this.set("endsAt", time);
+    this.set("status.endsAt", time);
   },
 
   @action
   saveAndClose() {
-    const status = {
-      description: this.description,
-      emoji: this.emoji,
-      ends_at: this.endsAt?.toISOString(),
+    const newStatus = {
+      description: this.status.description,
+      emoji: this.status.emoji,
+      ends_at: this.status.endsAt?.toISOString(),
     };
     this.userStatusService
-      .set(status)
+      .set(newStatus)
       .then(() => {
         this.send("closeModal");
       })
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/user-status-picker.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/user-status-picker.hbs
index d1b6d1002d0..4737847fe8d 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/user-status-picker.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/user-status-picker.hbs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
       {{on "focus" this.focus}}
       {{on "blur" this.blur}}
     >
-      {{#if @emoji}}
+      {{#if @status.emoji}}
         {{html-safe this.emojiHtml}}
       {{else}}
         {{d-icon "discourse-emojis"}}
@@ -15,11 +15,15 @@
     </button>
     <Input
       class="user-status-description"
-      @value={{@description}}
+      @value={{@status.description}}
       placeholder={{i18n "user_status.what_are_you_doing"}}
       {{on "input" this.setDefaultEmoji}}
       {{on "focus" this.focus}}
       {{on "blur" this.blur}} />
   </div>
 </div>
-<EmojiPicker @isActive={{this.emojiPickerIsActive}} @emojiSelected={{action "emojiSelected"}} @onEmojiPickerClose={{action "onEmojiPickerOutsideClick"}} @placement="bottom" />
+<EmojiPicker
+  @isActive={{this.emojiPickerIsActive}}
+  @emojiSelected={{action "emojiSelected"}}
+  @onEmojiPickerClose={{action "onEmojiPickerOutsideClick"}}
+  @placement="bottom"/>
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/modal/user-status.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/modal/user-status.hbs
index 95d16a7f192..1d2adb7c5f0 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/modal/user-status.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/modal/user-status.hbs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <DModalBody>
   <ConditionalLoadingSpinner @condition={{this.loading}}>
     <div class="control-group">
-      <UserStatusPicker @emoji={{this.emoji}} @description={{this.description}} />
+      <UserStatusPicker @status={{this.status}} />
     </div>
     <div class="control-group control-group-remove-status">
       <label class="control-label">
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/integration/components/user-status-picker-test.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/integration/components/user-status-picker-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..12c579bdf46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/tests/integration/components/user-status-picker-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import { module, test } from "qunit";
+import { click, fillIn, render } from "@ember/test-helpers";
+import { setupRenderingTest } from "discourse/tests/helpers/component-test";
+import { hbs } from "ember-cli-htmlbars";
+import { query } from "discourse/tests/helpers/qunit-helpers";
+
+module("Integration | Component | user-status-picker", function (hooks) {
+  setupRenderingTest(hooks);
+
+  test("it renders current status", async function (assert) {
+    const status = {
+      emoji: "tooth",
+      description: "off to dentist",
+    };
+    this.set("status", status);
+    await render(hbs`<UserStatusPicker @status={{this.status}} />`);
+    assert.equal(
+      query(".emoji").alt,
+      status.emoji,
+      "the status emoji is shown"
+    );
+    assert.equal(
+      query(".user-status-description").value,
+      status.description,
+      "the status description is shown"
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("it picks emoji", async function (assert) {
+    const status = {
+      emoji: "tooth",
+      description: "off to dentist",
+    };
+    this.set("status", status);
+    await render(hbs`<UserStatusPicker @status={{this.status}} />`);
+
+    const newEmoji = "mega";
+    await click(".btn-emoji");
+    await fillIn(".emoji-picker-content .filter", newEmoji);
+    await click(".results .emoji");
+
+    assert.equal(query(".emoji").alt, newEmoji);
+  });
+
+  test("it sets default emoji when user starts typing a description", async function (assert) {
+    const defaultEmoji = "speech_balloon";
+
+    this.set("status", null);
+    await render(hbs`<UserStatusPicker @status={{this.status}} />`);
+    await fillIn(".user-status-description", "s");
+
+    assert.equal(query(".emoji").alt, defaultEmoji);
+  });
+});