diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.c
index d310d8245dca..2c2afb19975d 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.c
@@ -1240,6 +1240,7 @@ static void i915_driver_register(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv)
  */
 static void i915_driver_unregister(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv)
 {
+	intel_fbdev_unregister(dev_priv);
 	intel_audio_deinit(dev_priv);
 
 	intel_gpu_ips_teardown();
@@ -1371,8 +1372,6 @@ void i915_driver_unload(struct drm_device *dev)
 	struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv = to_i915(dev);
 	struct pci_dev *pdev = dev_priv->drm.pdev;
 
-	intel_fbdev_fini(dev);
-
 	if (i915_gem_suspend(dev_priv))
 		DRM_ERROR("failed to idle hardware; continuing to unload!\n");
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
index ecb4e30673fc..e10fae2faa88 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
@@ -15111,6 +15111,9 @@ void intel_modeset_cleanup(struct drm_device *dev)
 	 */
 	drm_kms_helper_poll_fini(dev);
 
+	/* poll work can call into fbdev, hence clean that up afterwards */
+	intel_fbdev_fini(dev_priv);
+
 	intel_unregister_dsm_handler();
 
 	intel_fbc_global_disable(dev_priv);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_drv.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_drv.h
index 3132260f18ce..7361e983d953 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_drv.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_drv.h
@@ -1597,7 +1597,8 @@ void intel_hpd_poll_init(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv);
 #ifdef CONFIG_DRM_FBDEV_EMULATION
 extern int intel_fbdev_init(struct drm_device *dev);
 extern void intel_fbdev_initial_config_async(struct drm_device *dev);
-extern void intel_fbdev_fini(struct drm_device *dev);
+extern void intel_fbdev_unregister(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv);
+extern void intel_fbdev_fini(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv);
 extern void intel_fbdev_set_suspend(struct drm_device *dev, int state, bool synchronous);
 extern void intel_fbdev_output_poll_changed(struct drm_device *dev);
 extern void intel_fbdev_restore_mode(struct drm_device *dev);
@@ -1611,7 +1612,11 @@ static inline void intel_fbdev_initial_config_async(struct drm_device *dev)
 {
 }
 
-static inline void intel_fbdev_fini(struct drm_device *dev)
+static inline void intel_fbdev_unregister(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv)
+{
+}
+
+static inline void intel_fbdev_fini(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv)
 {
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_fbdev.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_fbdev.c
index b953365a3eec..391992373d27 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_fbdev.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_fbdev.c
@@ -538,8 +538,6 @@ static void intel_fbdev_destroy(struct intel_fbdev *ifbdev)
 	 * trying to rectify all the possible error paths leading here.
 	 */
 
-	drm_fb_helper_unregister_fbi(&ifbdev->helper);
-
 	drm_fb_helper_fini(&ifbdev->helper);
 
 	if (ifbdev->vma) {
@@ -727,8 +725,10 @@ static void intel_fbdev_initial_config(void *data, async_cookie_t cookie)
 
 	/* Due to peculiar init order wrt to hpd handling this is separate. */
 	if (drm_fb_helper_initial_config(&ifbdev->helper,
-					 ifbdev->preferred_bpp))
-		intel_fbdev_fini(ifbdev->helper.dev);
+					 ifbdev->preferred_bpp)) {
+		intel_fbdev_unregister(to_i915(ifbdev->helper.dev));
+		intel_fbdev_fini(to_i915(ifbdev->helper.dev));
+	}
 }
 
 void intel_fbdev_initial_config_async(struct drm_device *dev)
@@ -751,9 +751,8 @@ static void intel_fbdev_sync(struct intel_fbdev *ifbdev)
 	ifbdev->cookie = 0;
 }
 
-void intel_fbdev_fini(struct drm_device *dev)
+void intel_fbdev_unregister(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv)
 {
-	struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv = to_i915(dev);
 	struct intel_fbdev *ifbdev = dev_priv->fbdev;
 
 	if (!ifbdev)
@@ -763,8 +762,17 @@ void intel_fbdev_fini(struct drm_device *dev)
 	if (!current_is_async())
 		intel_fbdev_sync(ifbdev);
 
+	drm_fb_helper_unregister_fbi(&ifbdev->helper);
+}
+
+void intel_fbdev_fini(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv)
+{
+	struct intel_fbdev *ifbdev = fetch_and_zero(&dev_priv->fbdev);
+
+	if (!ifbdev)
+		return;
+
 	intel_fbdev_destroy(ifbdev);
-	dev_priv->fbdev = NULL;
 }
 
 void intel_fbdev_set_suspend(struct drm_device *dev, int state, bool synchronous)
