diff --git a/drivers/media/platform/vivid/vivid-kthread-cap.c b/drivers/media/platform/vivid/vivid-kthread-cap.c
index eebfff2126be22f0f50664322a722cefa2616a44..46e46e34a9e5f8cb9edbb34af3eddcd21d2c0d53 100644
--- a/drivers/media/platform/vivid/vivid-kthread-cap.c
+++ b/drivers/media/platform/vivid/vivid-kthread-cap.c
@@ -873,8 +873,11 @@ int vivid_start_generating_vid_cap(struct vivid_dev *dev, bool *pstreaming)
 			"%s-vid-cap", dev->v4l2_dev.name);
 
 	if (IS_ERR(dev->kthread_vid_cap)) {
+		int err = PTR_ERR(dev->kthread_vid_cap);
+
+		dev->kthread_vid_cap = NULL;
 		v4l2_err(&dev->v4l2_dev, "kernel_thread() failed\n");
-		return PTR_ERR(dev->kthread_vid_cap);
+		return err;
 	}
 	*pstreaming = true;
 	vivid_grab_controls(dev, true);
diff --git a/drivers/media/platform/vivid/vivid-kthread-out.c b/drivers/media/platform/vivid/vivid-kthread-out.c
index 5a14810eeb6910a6ff6766aae181494ea9fc2e35..ce5bcda2348c97d4ab6b21ad72faaf6deee2e865 100644
--- a/drivers/media/platform/vivid/vivid-kthread-out.c
+++ b/drivers/media/platform/vivid/vivid-kthread-out.c
@@ -244,8 +244,11 @@ int vivid_start_generating_vid_out(struct vivid_dev *dev, bool *pstreaming)
 			"%s-vid-out", dev->v4l2_dev.name);
 
 	if (IS_ERR(dev->kthread_vid_out)) {
+		int err = PTR_ERR(dev->kthread_vid_out);
+
+		dev->kthread_vid_out = NULL;
 		v4l2_err(&dev->v4l2_dev, "kernel_thread() failed\n");
-		return PTR_ERR(dev->kthread_vid_out);
+		return err;
 	}
 	*pstreaming = true;
 	vivid_grab_controls(dev, true);