diff --git a/lib/internal/event_target.js b/lib/internal/event_target.js
index cf94bcbe7bf387..e371ee06a1b83b 100644
--- a/lib/internal/event_target.js
+++ b/lib/internal/event_target.js
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ class Event {
       enumerable: true,
       configurable: false
     });
+    this[kTarget] = null;
   }
 
   [customInspectSymbol](depth, options) {
@@ -245,7 +246,7 @@ class EventTarget {
     }
 
     if (this.#emitting.has(event.type) ||
-        event[kTarget] !== undefined) {
+        event[kTarget] !== null) {
       throw new ERR_EVENT_RECURSION(event.type);
     }
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-eventtarget.js b/test/parallel/test-eventtarget.js
index f032b2fedb715a..e47dac6fc2f48c 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-eventtarget.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-eventtarget.js
@@ -385,6 +385,7 @@ const ev = new Event('foo');
 {
   const target = new EventTarget();
   const event = new Event('foo');
+  strictEqual(event.target, null);
   target.addEventListener('foo', common.mustCall((event) => {
     strictEqual(event.target, target);
     strictEqual(event.currentTarget, target);