diff --git a/pkg/controller/history/controller_history.go b/pkg/controller/history/controller_history.go
index 85a65eaad02..262652e36d2 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/history/controller_history.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/history/controller_history.go
@@ -70,21 +70,10 @@ func NewControllerRevision(parent metav1.Object,
 	for k, v := range templateLabels {
 		labelMap[k] = v
 	}
-	blockOwnerDeletion := true
-	isController := true
 	cr := &apps.ControllerRevision{
 		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-			Labels: labelMap,
-			OwnerReferences: []metav1.OwnerReference{
-				{
-					APIVersion:         parentKind.GroupVersion().String(),
-					Kind:               parentKind.Kind,
-					Name:               parent.GetName(),
-					UID:                parent.GetUID(),
-					BlockOwnerDeletion: &blockOwnerDeletion,
-					Controller:         &isController,
-				},
-			},
+			Labels:          labelMap,
+			OwnerReferences: []metav1.OwnerReference{*metav1.NewControllerRef(parent, parentKind)},
 		},
 		Data:     data,
 		Revision: revision,
@@ -417,8 +406,6 @@ func (fh *fakeHistory) UpdateControllerRevision(revision *apps.ControllerRevisio
 }
 
 func (fh *fakeHistory) AdoptControllerRevision(parent metav1.Object, parentKind schema.GroupVersionKind, revision *apps.ControllerRevision) (*apps.ControllerRevision, error) {
-	blockOwnerDeletion := true
-	isController := true
 	if owner := metav1.GetControllerOf(revision); owner != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("attempt to adopt revision owned by %v", owner)
 	}
@@ -434,16 +421,8 @@ func (fh *fakeHistory) AdoptControllerRevision(parent metav1.Object, parentKind
 		return nil, errors.NewNotFound(apps.Resource("controllerrevisions"), revision.Name)
 	}
 	clone := revision.DeepCopy()
-	clone.OwnerReferences = append(clone.OwnerReferences, metav1.OwnerReference{
-		APIVersion:         parentKind.GroupVersion().String(),
-		Kind:               parentKind.Kind,
-		Name:               parent.GetName(),
-		UID:                parent.GetUID(),
-		BlockOwnerDeletion: &blockOwnerDeletion,
-		Controller:         &isController,
-	})
+	clone.OwnerReferences = append(clone.OwnerReferences, *metav1.NewControllerRef(parent, parentKind))
 	return clone, fh.indexer.Update(clone)
-
 }
 
 func (fh *fakeHistory) ReleaseControllerRevision(parent metav1.Object, revision *apps.ControllerRevision) (*apps.ControllerRevision, error) {
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