diff --git a/packages/react-client/src/ReactFlightClient.js b/packages/react-client/src/ReactFlightClient.js
index c7506a13e5941..0afc8ef4834d6 100644
--- a/packages/react-client/src/ReactFlightClient.js
+++ b/packages/react-client/src/ReactFlightClient.js
@@ -524,16 +524,24 @@ function moveDebugInfoFromChunkToInnerValue<T>(
         debugInfo,
       );
     } else {
-      Object.defineProperty((resolvedValue: any), '_debugInfo', {
-        configurable: false,
-        enumerable: false,
-        writable: true,
-        value: debugInfo,
-      });
+      setDebugInfo(resolvedValue, debugInfo);
     }
   }
 }
 
+function setDebugInfo(value: any, debugInfo: Array<ReactDebugInfoEntry>) {
+  // Only set if property is writable. If the value is a JSX element, it will be frozen.
+  const descriptor = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(value, '_debugInfo');
+  if (!descriptor || descriptor.writable) {
+    Object.defineProperty(value, '_debugInfo', {
+      configurable: false,
+      enumerable: false,
+      writable: true,
+      value: debugInfo,
+    });
+  }
+}
+
 function wakeChunk<T>(
   listeners: Array<InitializationReference | (T => mixed)>,
   value: T,
@@ -1219,12 +1227,7 @@ function initializeElement(
         // $FlowFixMe[method-unbinding]
         element._debugInfo.unshift.apply(element._debugInfo, debugInfo);
       } else {
-        Object.defineProperty(element, '_debugInfo', {
-          configurable: false,
-          enumerable: false,
-          writable: true,
-          value: debugInfo,
-        });
+        setDebugInfo(element, debugInfo);
       }
     }
   }
@@ -2797,12 +2800,7 @@ function addAsyncInfo(chunk: SomeChunk<any>, asyncInfo: ReactAsyncInfo): void {
       // $FlowFixMe[method-unbinding]
       value._debugInfo.push(asyncInfo);
     } else {
-      Object.defineProperty((value: any), '_debugInfo', {
-        configurable: false,
-        enumerable: false,
-        writable: true,
-        value: [asyncInfo],
-      });
+      setDebugInfo(value, [asyncInfo]);
     }
   } else {
     // $FlowFixMe[method-unbinding]
diff --git a/packages/react-client/src/__tests__/ReactFlight-test.js b/packages/react-client/src/__tests__/ReactFlight-test.js
index b0f539bf2572c..8a9a1d093b75f 100644
--- a/packages/react-client/src/__tests__/ReactFlight-test.js
+++ b/packages/react-client/src/__tests__/ReactFlight-test.js
@@ -3884,4 +3884,24 @@ describe('ReactFlight', () => {
       </main>,
     );
   });
+
+  it('does not crash when exporting a JSX element as a client reference', async () => {
+    const ClientReference = clientReference(React.createElement('div'));
+
+    function App() {
+      return ClientReference;
+    }
+
+    const transport = ReactNoopFlightServer.render({
+      root: ReactServer.createElement(App),
+    });
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      const {root} = await ReactNoopFlightClient.read(transport);
+      ReactNoop.render(root);
+      if (__DEV__) {
+        expect(getDebugInfo(root)).toBeNull();
+      }
+    });
+  });
 });