diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/scheduler/sched_entity.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/scheduler/sched_entity.c
index e4069fcb0272..7be0387bac3c 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/scheduler/sched_entity.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/scheduler/sched_entity.c
@@ -136,7 +136,6 @@ int drm_sched_entity_init(struct drm_sched_entity *entity,
 			      DRM_SCHED_PRIORITY_KERNEL : priority;
 	entity->num_sched_list = num_sched_list;
 	entity->sched_list = num_sched_list > 1 ? sched_list : NULL;
-	RCU_INIT_POINTER(entity->last_scheduled, NULL);
 	RB_CLEAR_NODE(&entity->rb_tree_node);
 
 	if (!sched_list[0]->sched_rq) {
@@ -233,10 +232,10 @@ int drm_sched_entity_error(struct drm_sched_entity *entity)
 	struct dma_fence *fence;
 	int r;
 
-	rcu_read_lock();
-	fence = rcu_dereference(entity->last_scheduled);
+	spin_lock(&entity->lock);
+	fence = entity->last_scheduled;
 	r = fence ? fence->error : 0;
-	rcu_read_unlock();
+	spin_unlock(&entity->lock);
 
 	return r;
 }
@@ -319,9 +318,9 @@ void drm_sched_entity_kill(struct drm_sched_entity *entity)
 	/* Make sure this entity is not used by the scheduler at the moment */
 	wait_for_completion(&entity->entity_idle);
 
-	/* The entity is guaranteed to not be used by the scheduler */
-	prev = rcu_dereference_check(entity->last_scheduled, true);
-	dma_fence_get(prev);
+	spin_lock(&entity->lock);
+	prev = dma_fence_get(entity->last_scheduled);
+	spin_unlock(&entity->lock);
 	while ((job = drm_sched_entity_queue_pop(entity))) {
 		struct drm_sched_fence *s_fence = job->s_fence;
 
@@ -413,8 +412,7 @@ void drm_sched_entity_fini(struct drm_sched_entity *entity)
 		entity->dependency = NULL;
 	}
 
-	dma_fence_put(rcu_dereference_check(entity->last_scheduled, true));
-	RCU_INIT_POINTER(entity->last_scheduled, NULL);
+	dma_fence_put(entity->last_scheduled);
 	drm_sched_entity_stats_put(entity->stats);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(drm_sched_entity_fini);
@@ -536,6 +534,10 @@ drm_sched_job_dependency(struct drm_sched_job *job,
 
 struct drm_sched_job *drm_sched_entity_pop_job(struct drm_sched_entity *entity)
 {
+	/* Helper to avoid dropping the reference while the entity lock is held,
+	 * just to have some more robustness.
+	 */
+	struct dma_fence *prev_last_scheduled;
 	struct drm_sched_job *sched_job;
 
 	sched_job = drm_sched_entity_queue_peek(entity);
@@ -552,22 +554,15 @@ struct drm_sched_job *drm_sched_entity_pop_job(struct drm_sched_entity *entity)
 	if (entity->guilty && atomic_read(entity->guilty))
 		dma_fence_set_error(&sched_job->s_fence->finished, -ECANCELED);
 
-	dma_fence_put(rcu_dereference_check(entity->last_scheduled, true));
-	rcu_assign_pointer(entity->last_scheduled,
-			   dma_fence_get(&sched_job->s_fence->finished));
-
-	/*
-	 * If the queue is empty we allow drm_sched_entity_select_rq() to
-	 * locklessly access ->last_scheduled. This only works if we set the
-	 * pointer before we dequeue and if we a write barrier here.
-	 */
-	smp_wmb();
-
 	spin_lock(&entity->lock);
+	prev_last_scheduled = entity->last_scheduled;
+	entity->last_scheduled = dma_fence_get(&sched_job->s_fence->finished);
 	spsc_queue_pop(&entity->job_queue);
 	drm_sched_rq_pop_entity(entity);
 	spin_unlock(&entity->lock);
 
+	dma_fence_put(prev_last_scheduled);
+
 	/* Jobs and entities might have different lifecycles. Since we're
 	 * removing the job from the entities queue, set the jobs entity pointer
 	 * to NULL to prevent any future access of the entity through this job.
@@ -591,21 +586,15 @@ void drm_sched_entity_select_rq(struct drm_sched_entity *entity)
 	if (spsc_queue_count(&entity->job_queue))
 		return;
 
-	/*
-	 * Only when the queue is empty are we guaranteed that
-	 * drm_sched_run_job_work() cannot change entity->last_scheduled. To
-	 * enforce ordering we need a read barrier here. See
-	 * drm_sched_entity_pop_job() for the other side.
-	 */
-	smp_rmb();
-
-	fence = rcu_dereference_check(entity->last_scheduled, true);
+	spin_lock(&entity->lock);
+	fence = entity->last_scheduled;
 
 	/* stay on the same engine if the previous job hasn't finished */
-	if (fence && !dma_fence_is_signaled(fence))
+	if (fence && !dma_fence_is_signaled(fence)) {
+		spin_unlock(&entity->lock);
 		return;
+	}
 
-	spin_lock(&entity->lock);
 	sched = drm_sched_pick_best(entity->sched_list, entity->num_sched_list);
 	rq = sched ? sched->sched_rq[entity->rq_priority] : NULL;
 	if (rq != entity->rq) {
diff --git a/include/drm/gpu_scheduler.h b/include/drm/gpu_scheduler.h
index 7a64cc11de08..563d7fb88a6d 100644
--- a/include/drm/gpu_scheduler.h
+++ b/include/drm/gpu_scheduler.h
@@ -100,8 +100,8 @@ struct drm_sched_entity {
 	 * @lock:
 	 *
 	 * Lock protecting the run-queue (@rq) to which this entity belongs,
-	 * @priority, the list of schedulers (@sched_list, @num_sched_list) and
-	 * the @rr_ts field.
+	 * @priority, @last_scheduled and the list of schedulers (@sched_list,
+	 * @num_sched_list) and @rr_ts.
 	 */
 	spinlock_t			lock;
 
@@ -215,11 +215,9 @@ struct drm_sched_entity {
 	/**
 	 * @last_scheduled:
 	 *
-	 * Points to the finished fence of the last scheduled job. Only written
-	 * by drm_sched_entity_pop_job(). Can be accessed locklessly from
-	 * drm_sched_job_arm() if the queue is empty.
+	 * Points to the finished fence of the last scheduled job.
 	 */
-	struct dma_fence __rcu		*last_scheduled;
+	struct dma_fence		*last_scheduled;
 
 	/**
 	 * @last_user: last group leader pushing a job into the entity.