diff --git a/cmd/glbc/app/clients.go b/cmd/glbc/app/clients.go
index 5cf37f0f31..97597157cf 100644
--- a/cmd/glbc/app/clients.go
+++ b/cmd/glbc/app/clients.go
@@ -46,16 +46,6 @@ const (
 
 // NewKubeConfig returns a Kubernetes client config given the command line settings.
 func NewKubeConfig() (*rest.Config, error) {
-	config, err := newKubeConfig()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	// Use protobufs for communication with apiserver
-	config.ContentType = "application/vnd.kubernetes.protobuf"
-	return config, nil
-}
-
-func newKubeConfig() (*rest.Config, error) {
 	if flags.F.InCluster {
 		klog.V(0).Infof("Using in cluster configuration")
 		return rest.InClusterConfig()
diff --git a/pkg/controller/controller.go b/pkg/controller/controller.go
index eadc110fdd..a233fe0c4f 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/controller.go
@@ -191,19 +191,40 @@ func NewLoadBalancerController(
 	// BackendConfig event handlers.
 	ctx.BackendConfigInformer.AddEventHandler(cache.ResourceEventHandlerFuncs{
 		AddFunc: func(obj interface{}) {
-			beConfig := obj.(*backendconfigv1beta1.BackendConfig)
+			beConfig, ok := obj.(*backendconfigv1beta1.BackendConfig)
+			if !ok {
+				klog.Errorf("Cannot cast obj to BackendConfig (obj type is %T)", obj)
+				return
+			}
 			ings := operator.Ingresses(ctx.Ingresses().List()).ReferencesBackendConfig(beConfig, operator.Services(ctx.Services().List())).AsList()
 			lbc.ingQueue.Enqueue(convert(ings)...)
 		},
 		UpdateFunc: func(old, cur interface{}) {
 			if !reflect.DeepEqual(old, cur) {
-				beConfig := cur.(*backendconfigv1beta1.BackendConfig)
+				beConfig, ok := cur.(*backendconfigv1beta1.BackendConfig)
+				if !ok {
+					klog.Errorf("Cannot cast obj to BackendConfig (obj type is %T)", cur)
+					return
+				}
 				ings := operator.Ingresses(ctx.Ingresses().List()).ReferencesBackendConfig(beConfig, operator.Services(ctx.Services().List())).AsList()
 				lbc.ingQueue.Enqueue(convert(ings)...)
 			}
 		},
 		DeleteFunc: func(obj interface{}) {
-			beConfig := obj.(*backendconfigv1beta1.BackendConfig)
+			beConfig, ok := obj.(*backendconfigv1beta1.BackendConfig)
+			if !ok {
+				klog.V(3).Infof("Cannot cast obj to BackendConfig (obj type is %T), casting into DeletedFinalStateUnknown", obj)
+				var tombstone cache.DeletedFinalStateUnknown
+				tombstone, ok = obj.(cache.DeletedFinalStateUnknown)
+				if !ok {
+					klog.Errorf("Cannot cast obj to DeletedFinalStateUnknown (obj type is %T)", obj)
+					return
+				}
+				if beConfig, ok = tombstone.Obj.(*backendconfigv1beta1.BackendConfig); !ok {
+					klog.Errorf("Cannot cast DeletedFinalStateUnknown.obj to BackendConfig (obj type is %T)", tombstone.Obj)
+					return
+				}
+			}
 			ings := operator.Ingresses(ctx.Ingresses().List()).ReferencesBackendConfig(beConfig, operator.Services(ctx.Services().List())).AsList()
 			lbc.ingQueue.Enqueue(convert(ings)...)
 		},