diff --git a/src/components/EmojiPicker/EmojiPickerMenu/index.js b/src/components/EmojiPicker/EmojiPickerMenu/index.js
index aea3b0f5b984..ceae3b4578e2 100755
--- a/src/components/EmojiPicker/EmojiPickerMenu/index.js
+++ b/src/components/EmojiPicker/EmojiPickerMenu/index.js
@@ -107,6 +107,7 @@ function EmojiPickerMenu(props) {
     const [selection, setSelection] = useState({start: 0, end: 0});
     const [isFocused, setIsFocused] = useState(false);
     const [isUsingKeyboardMovement, setIsUsingKeyboardMovement] = useState(false);
+    const [highlightFirstEmoji, setHighlightFirstEmoji] = useState(false);
 
     useEffect(() => {
         const emojisAndHeaderRowIndices = getEmojisAndHeaderRowIndices();
@@ -174,6 +175,7 @@ function EmojiPickerMenu(props) {
             setHeaderIndices(headerRowIndices.current);
             setHighlightedIndex(-1);
             updateFirstNonHeaderIndex(emojis.current);
+            setHighlightFirstEmoji(false);
             return;
         }
         const newFilteredEmojiList = EmojiUtils.suggestEmojis(`:${normalizedSearchTerm}`, preferredLocale, emojis.current.length);
@@ -183,6 +185,7 @@ function EmojiPickerMenu(props) {
         setHeaderIndices([]);
         setHighlightedIndex(0);
         updateFirstNonHeaderIndex(newFilteredEmojiList);
+        setHighlightFirstEmoji(true);
     }, throttleTime);
 
     /**
@@ -209,6 +212,7 @@ function EmojiPickerMenu(props) {
                 searchInputRef.current.blur();
                 setArePointerEventsDisabled(true);
                 setIsUsingKeyboardMovement(true);
+                setHighlightFirstEmoji(false);
 
                 // We only want to hightlight the Emoji if none was highlighted already
                 // If we already have a highlighted Emoji, lets just skip the first navigation
@@ -434,11 +438,13 @@ function EmojiPickerMenu(props) {
             const emojiCode = types && types[preferredSkinTone] ? types[preferredSkinTone] : code;
 
             const isEmojiFocused = index === highlightedIndex && isUsingKeyboardMovement;
+            const shouldEmojiBeHighlighted = index === highlightedIndex && highlightFirstEmoji;
 
             return (
                 <EmojiPickerMenuItem
                     onPress={(emoji) => onEmojiSelected(emoji, item)}
                     onHoverIn={() => {
+                        setHighlightFirstEmoji(false);
                         if (!isUsingKeyboardMovement) {
                             return;
                         }
@@ -452,10 +458,11 @@ function EmojiPickerMenu(props) {
                         setHighlightedIndex((prevState) => (prevState === index ? -1 : prevState))
                     }
                     isFocused={isEmojiFocused}
+                    isHighlighted={shouldEmojiBeHighlighted}
                 />
             );
         },
-        [isUsingKeyboardMovement, highlightedIndex, onEmojiSelected, preferredSkinTone, translate],
+        [isUsingKeyboardMovement, highlightedIndex, onEmojiSelected, preferredSkinTone, translate, highlightFirstEmoji],
     );
 
     const isFiltered = emojis.current.length !== filteredEmojis.length;
diff --git a/src/components/EmojiPicker/EmojiPickerMenuItem/index.js b/src/components/EmojiPicker/EmojiPickerMenuItem/index.js
index c5ca5463aec4..1b3e457f7525 100644
--- a/src/components/EmojiPicker/EmojiPickerMenuItem/index.js
+++ b/src/components/EmojiPicker/EmojiPickerMenuItem/index.js
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ const propTypes = {
 
     /** Whether this menu item is currently focused or not */
     isFocused: PropTypes.bool,
+
+    /** Whether the menu item should be highlighted or not */
+    isHighlighted: PropTypes.bool,
 };
 
 class EmojiPickerMenuItem extends PureComponent {
@@ -56,6 +59,7 @@ class EmojiPickerMenuItem extends PureComponent {
         if (!this.props.isFocused) {
             return;
         }
+
         this.focusAndScroll();
     }
 
@@ -91,7 +95,7 @@ class EmojiPickerMenuItem extends PureComponent {
                 ref={(ref) => (this.ref = ref)}
                 style={({pressed}) => [
                     this.props.isFocused ? styles.emojiItemKeyboardHighlighted : {},
-                    this.state.isHovered ? styles.emojiItemHighlighted : {},
+                    this.state.isHovered || this.props.isHighlighted ? styles.emojiItemHighlighted : {},
                     Browser.isMobile() && StyleUtils.getButtonBackgroundColorStyle(getButtonState(false, pressed)),
                     styles.emojiItem,
                 ]}
@@ -107,6 +111,7 @@ class EmojiPickerMenuItem extends PureComponent {
 EmojiPickerMenuItem.propTypes = propTypes;
 EmojiPickerMenuItem.defaultProps = {
     isFocused: false,
+    isHighlighted: false,
     onHoverIn: () => {},
     onHoverOut: () => {},
     onFocus: () => {},
@@ -115,4 +120,7 @@ EmojiPickerMenuItem.defaultProps = {
 
 // Significantly speeds up re-renders of the EmojiPickerMenu's FlatList
 // by only re-rendering at most two EmojiPickerMenuItems that are highlighted/un-highlighted per user action.
-export default React.memo(EmojiPickerMenuItem, (prevProps, nextProps) => prevProps.isFocused === nextProps.isFocused && prevProps.emoji === nextProps.emoji);
+export default React.memo(
+    EmojiPickerMenuItem,
+    (prevProps, nextProps) => prevProps.isFocused === nextProps.isFocused && prevProps.isHighlighted === nextProps.isHighlighted && prevProps.emoji === nextProps.emoji,
+);