diff --git a/pkg/controller/replicaset/replica_set.go b/pkg/controller/replicaset/replica_set.go
index 1ee5f61160a..1c269b8995c 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/replicaset/replica_set.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/replicaset/replica_set.go
@@ -484,16 +484,7 @@ func (rsc *ReplicaSetController) manageReplicas(filteredPods []*v1.Pod, rs *apps
 		// after one of its pods fails.  Conveniently, this also prevents the
 		// event spam that those failures would generate.
 		successfulCreations, err := slowStartBatch(diff, controller.SlowStartInitialBatchSize, func() error {
-			boolPtr := func(b bool) *bool { return &b }
-			controllerRef := &metav1.OwnerReference{
-				APIVersion:         rsc.GroupVersion().String(),
-				Kind:               rsc.Kind,
-				Name:               rs.Name,
-				UID:                rs.UID,
-				BlockOwnerDeletion: boolPtr(true),
-				Controller:         boolPtr(true),
-			}
-			err := rsc.podControl.CreatePodsWithControllerRef(rs.Namespace, &rs.Spec.Template, rs, controllerRef)
+			err := rsc.podControl.CreatePodsWithControllerRef(rs.Namespace, &rs.Spec.Template, rs, metav1.NewControllerRef(rs, rsc.GroupVersionKind))
 			if err != nil && errors.IsTimeout(err) {
 				// Pod is created but its initialization has timed out.
 				// If the initialization is successful eventually, the