diff --git a/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation.go b/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation.go
index 192214c1fe8..b77c0666a35 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation.go
@@ -4753,7 +4753,14 @@ func ValidatePodUpdate(newPod, oldPod *core.Pod, opts PodValidationOptions) fiel
 				// already effectively nil, no change needed
 			case mungedPodSpec.Affinity == nil && oldNodeAffinity != nil:
 				mungedPodSpec.Affinity = &core.Affinity{NodeAffinity: oldNodeAffinity} // +k8s:verify-mutation:reason=clone
+			case mungedPodSpec.Affinity != nil && oldPod.Spec.Affinity == nil &&
+				mungedPodSpec.Affinity.PodAntiAffinity == nil && mungedPodSpec.Affinity.PodAffinity == nil:
+				// We ensure no other fields are being changed, but the NodeAffinity. If that's the case, and the
+				// old pod's affinity is nil, we set the mungedPodSpec's affinity to nil.
+				mungedPodSpec.Affinity = nil // +k8s:verify-mutation:reason=clone
 			default:
+				// The node affinity is being updated and the old pod Affinity is not nil.
+				// We set the mungedPodSpec's node affinity to the old pod's node affinity.
 				mungedPodSpec.Affinity.NodeAffinity = oldNodeAffinity // +k8s:verify-mutation:reason=clone
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation_test.go b/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation_test.go
index 80f2be937c1..f62cfb4d8a4 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation_test.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation_test.go
@@ -12836,6 +12836,117 @@ func TestValidatePodUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			err:  "spec.affinity.nodeAffinity.requiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution.nodeSelectorTerms[0]: Invalid value:",
 			test: "empty NodeSelectorTerm (selects nothing) cannot become populated (selects something)",
+		}, {
+			old: core.Pod{
+				Spec: core.PodSpec{
+					Affinity:        nil,
+					SchedulingGates: []core.PodSchedulingGate{{Name: "baz"}},
+				},
+			},
+			new: core.Pod{
+				Spec: core.PodSpec{
+					Affinity: &core.Affinity{
+						NodeAffinity: &core.NodeAffinity{
+							RequiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution: &core.NodeSelector{
+								NodeSelectorTerms: []core.NodeSelectorTerm{{
+									MatchExpressions: []core.NodeSelectorRequirement{{
+										Key:      "expr",
+										Operator: core.NodeSelectorOpIn,
+										Values:   []string{"foo"},
+									}},
+								}},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+					SchedulingGates: []core.PodSchedulingGate{{Name: "baz"}},
+				},
+			},
+			opts: PodValidationOptions{
+				AllowMutableNodeSelectorAndNodeAffinity: true,
+			},
+			test: "nil affinity can be mutated for gated pods",
+		},
+		{
+			old: core.Pod{
+				Spec: core.PodSpec{
+					Affinity:        nil,
+					SchedulingGates: []core.PodSchedulingGate{{Name: "baz"}},
+				},
+			},
+			new: core.Pod{
+				Spec: core.PodSpec{
+					Affinity: &core.Affinity{
+						NodeAffinity: &core.NodeAffinity{
+							RequiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution: &core.NodeSelector{
+								NodeSelectorTerms: []core.NodeSelectorTerm{{
+									MatchExpressions: []core.NodeSelectorRequirement{{
+										Key:      "expr",
+										Operator: core.NodeSelectorOpIn,
+										Values:   []string{"foo"},
+									}},
+								}},
+							},
+						},
+						PodAffinity: &core.PodAffinity{
+							RequiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution: []core.PodAffinityTerm{
+								{
+									TopologyKey: "foo",
+									LabelSelector: &metav1.LabelSelector{
+										MatchLabels: map[string]string{"foo": "bar"},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+					SchedulingGates: []core.PodSchedulingGate{{Name: "baz"}},
+				},
+			},
+			opts: PodValidationOptions{
+				AllowMutableNodeSelectorAndNodeAffinity: true,
+			},
+			err:  "pod updates may not change fields other than",
+			test: "the podAffinity cannot be updated on gated pods",
+		},
+		{
+			old: core.Pod{
+				Spec: core.PodSpec{
+					Affinity:        nil,
+					SchedulingGates: []core.PodSchedulingGate{{Name: "baz"}},
+				},
+			},
+			new: core.Pod{
+				Spec: core.PodSpec{
+					Affinity: &core.Affinity{
+						NodeAffinity: &core.NodeAffinity{
+							RequiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution: &core.NodeSelector{
+								NodeSelectorTerms: []core.NodeSelectorTerm{{
+									MatchExpressions: []core.NodeSelectorRequirement{{
+										Key:      "expr",
+										Operator: core.NodeSelectorOpIn,
+										Values:   []string{"foo"},
+									}},
+								}},
+							},
+						},
+						PodAntiAffinity: &core.PodAntiAffinity{
+							RequiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution: []core.PodAffinityTerm{
+								{
+									TopologyKey: "foo",
+									LabelSelector: &metav1.LabelSelector{
+										MatchLabels: map[string]string{"foo": "bar"},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+					SchedulingGates: []core.PodSchedulingGate{{Name: "baz"}},
+				},
+			},
+			opts: PodValidationOptions{
+				AllowMutableNodeSelectorAndNodeAffinity: true,
+			},
+			err:  "pod updates may not change fields other than",
+			test: "the podAntiAffinity cannot be updated on gated pods",
 		},
 	}
 	for _, test := range tests {
diff --git a/test/integration/pods/pods_test.go b/test/integration/pods/pods_test.go
index 3f463e7e9f1..52ee551c3cd 100644
--- a/test/integration/pods/pods_test.go
+++ b/test/integration/pods/pods_test.go
@@ -844,6 +844,63 @@ func TestMutablePodSchedulingDirectives(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			enableSchedulingGates: true,
 		},
+		{
+			name: "addition to nodeAffinity is allowed for gated pods with nil affinity",
+			create: &v1.Pod{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name: "test-pod",
+				},
+				Spec: v1.PodSpec{
+					Containers: []v1.Container{
+						{
+							Name:  "fake-name",
+							Image: "fakeimage",
+						},
+					},
+					SchedulingGates: []v1.PodSchedulingGate{{Name: "baz"}},
+				},
+			},
+			update: &v1.Pod{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name: "test-pod",
+				},
+				Spec: v1.PodSpec{
+					Containers: []v1.Container{
+						{
+							Name:  "fake-name",
+							Image: "fakeimage",
+						},
+					},
+					Affinity: &v1.Affinity{
+						NodeAffinity: &v1.NodeAffinity{
+							RequiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution: &v1.NodeSelector{
+								// Add 1 MatchExpression and 1 MatchField.
+								NodeSelectorTerms: []v1.NodeSelectorTerm{
+									{
+										MatchExpressions: []v1.NodeSelectorRequirement{
+											{
+												Key:      "expr",
+												Operator: v1.NodeSelectorOpIn,
+												Values:   []string{"foo"},
+											},
+										},
+										MatchFields: []v1.NodeSelectorRequirement{
+											{
+												Key:      "metadata.name",
+												Operator: v1.NodeSelectorOpIn,
+												Values:   []string{"foo"},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+					SchedulingGates: []v1.PodSchedulingGate{{Name: "baz"}},
+				},
+			},
+			enableSchedulingGates: true,
+		},
 	}
 	for _, tc := range cases {
 		defer featuregatetesting.SetFeatureGateDuringTest(t, utilfeature.DefaultFeatureGate, features.PodSchedulingReadiness, tc.enableSchedulingGates)()