diff --git a/app/soapbox/features/chats/components/chat_message_list.js b/app/soapbox/features/chats/components/chat_message_list.js
index 05869c74e..8e52e3270 100644
--- a/app/soapbox/features/chats/components/chat_message_list.js
+++ b/app/soapbox/features/chats/components/chat_message_list.js
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ class ChatMessageList extends ImmutablePureComponent {
   };
 
   setRef = (c) => {
+    if (!c) return;
     const links = c.querySelectorAll('a[rel="ugc"]');
 
     links.forEach(link => {