diff --git a/pkg/client/fake/client.go b/pkg/client/fake/client.go
index b3819926c0..9deb6756c3 100644
--- a/pkg/client/fake/client.go
+++ b/pkg/client/fake/client.go
@@ -404,7 +404,9 @@ func (t versionedTracker) update(gvr schema.GroupVersionResource, obj runtime.Ob
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to copy non-status field for object with status subresouce: %w", err)
 			}
 			passedRV := accessor.GetResourceVersion()
-			reflect.ValueOf(obj).Elem().Set(reflect.ValueOf(oldObject.DeepCopyObject()).Elem())
+			if err := copyFrom(oldObject, obj); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to restore non-status fields: %w", err)
+			}
 			accessor.SetResourceVersion(passedRV)
 		} else { // copy status from original object
 			if err := copyStatusFrom(oldObject, obj); err != nil {
@@ -972,6 +974,19 @@ func copyStatusFrom(old, new runtime.Object) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// copyFrom copies from old into new
+func copyFrom(old, new runtime.Object) error {
+	oldMapStringAny, err := toMapStringAny(old)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to convert old to *unstructured.Unstructured: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := fromMapStringAny(oldMapStringAny, new); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to convert back from map[string]any: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func toMapStringAny(obj runtime.Object) (map[string]any, error) {
 	if unstructured, isUnstructured := obj.(*unstructured.Unstructured); isUnstructured {
 		return unstructured.Object, nil
diff --git a/pkg/client/fake/client_test.go b/pkg/client/fake/client_test.go
index 810cf5499c..0f0415f4f8 100644
--- a/pkg/client/fake/client_test.go
+++ b/pkg/client/fake/client_test.go
@@ -1700,6 +1700,84 @@ var _ = Describe("Fake client", func() {
 		Expect(obj.Object["spec"]).To(BeEquivalentTo("original"))
 	})
 
+	It("should not change the status of known unstructured objects that have a status subresource on update", func() {
+		obj := &corev1.Pod{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name: "pod",
+			},
+			Spec: corev1.PodSpec{
+				RestartPolicy: corev1.RestartPolicyAlways,
+			},
+			Status: corev1.PodStatus{
+				Phase: corev1.PodPending,
+			},
+		}
+		cl := NewClientBuilder().WithStatusSubresource(obj).WithObjects(obj).Build()
+
+		// update using unstructured
+		u := &unstructured.Unstructured{}
+		u.SetAPIVersion("v1")
+		u.SetKind("Pod")
+		u.SetName(obj.Name)
+		err := cl.Get(context.Background(), client.ObjectKeyFromObject(u), u)
+		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+		err = unstructured.SetNestedField(u.Object, string(corev1.RestartPolicyNever), "spec", "restartPolicy")
+		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+		err = unstructured.SetNestedField(u.Object, string(corev1.PodRunning), "status", "phase")
+		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+		Expect(cl.Update(context.Background(), u)).To(Succeed())
+
+		actual := &corev1.Pod{}
+		Expect(cl.Get(context.Background(), client.ObjectKeyFromObject(obj), actual)).To(Succeed())
+		obj.APIVersion = u.GetAPIVersion()
+		obj.Kind = u.GetKind()
+		obj.ResourceVersion = actual.ResourceVersion
+		// only the spec mutation should persist
+		obj.Spec.RestartPolicy = corev1.RestartPolicyNever
+		Expect(cmp.Diff(obj, actual)).To(BeEmpty())
+	})
+
+	It("should not change non-status field of known unstructured objects that have a status subresource on status update", func() {
+		obj := &corev1.Pod{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name: "pod",
+			},
+			Spec: corev1.PodSpec{
+				RestartPolicy: corev1.RestartPolicyAlways,
+			},
+			Status: corev1.PodStatus{
+				Phase: corev1.PodPending,
+			},
+		}
+		cl := NewClientBuilder().WithStatusSubresource(obj).WithObjects(obj).Build()
+
+		// status update using unstructured
+		u := &unstructured.Unstructured{}
+		u.SetAPIVersion("v1")
+		u.SetKind("Pod")
+		u.SetName(obj.Name)
+		err := cl.Get(context.Background(), client.ObjectKeyFromObject(u), u)
+		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+		err = unstructured.SetNestedField(u.Object, string(corev1.RestartPolicyNever), "spec", "restartPolicy")
+		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+		err = unstructured.SetNestedField(u.Object, string(corev1.PodRunning), "status", "phase")
+		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+		Expect(cl.Status().Update(context.Background(), u)).To(Succeed())
+
+		actual := &corev1.Pod{}
+		Expect(cl.Get(context.Background(), client.ObjectKeyFromObject(obj), actual)).To(Succeed())
+		obj.APIVersion = "v1"
+		obj.Kind = "Pod"
+		obj.ResourceVersion = actual.ResourceVersion
+		// only the status mutation should persist
+		obj.Status.Phase = corev1.PodRunning
+		Expect(cmp.Diff(obj, actual)).To(BeEmpty())
+	})
+
 	It("should not change the status of unstructured objects that are configured to have a status subresource on patch", func() {
 		obj := &unstructured.Unstructured{}
 		obj.SetAPIVersion("foo/v1")