diff --git a/Lib/test/test_typing.py b/Lib/test/test_typing.py
index cd552f9887d8a0..2aae92c5ea1021 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_typing.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_typing.py
@@ -5797,6 +5797,23 @@ class A:
                     with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
                         a[int]
 
+    def test_return_non_tuple_while_unpacking(self):
+        # GH-138497: GenericAlias objects didn't ensure that __typing_subst__ actually
+        # returned a tuple
+        class EvilTypeVar:
+            __typing_is_unpacked_typevartuple__ = True
+            def __typing_prepare_subst__(*_):
+                return None  # any value
+            def __typing_subst__(*_):
+                return 42  # not tuple
+
+        evil = EvilTypeVar()
+        # Create a dummy TypeAlias that will be given the evil generic from
+        # above.
+        type type_alias[*_] = 0
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(TypeError, ".+__typing_subst__.+tuple.+int.*"):
+            type_alias[evil][0]
+
 
 class ClassVarTests(BaseTestCase):
 
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core_and_Builtins/2025-09-03-17-00-30.gh-issue-138479.qUxgWs.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core_and_Builtins/2025-09-03-17-00-30.gh-issue-138479.qUxgWs.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..c94640af3b053c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core_and_Builtins/2025-09-03-17-00-30.gh-issue-138479.qUxgWs.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Fix a crash when a generic object's ``__typing_subst__`` returns an object
+that isn't a :class:`tuple`.
diff --git a/Objects/genericaliasobject.c b/Objects/genericaliasobject.c
index 3bb961aa2b619d..2ef2ec1c54a234 100644
--- a/Objects/genericaliasobject.c
+++ b/Objects/genericaliasobject.c
@@ -525,12 +525,24 @@ _Py_subs_parameters(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *parameters, PyObje
             return NULL;
         }
         if (unpack) {
+            if (!PyTuple_Check(arg)) {
+                Py_DECREF(newargs);
+                Py_DECREF(item);
+                Py_XDECREF(tuple_args);
+                PyObject *original = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(args, iarg);
+                PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError,
+                             "expected __typing_subst__ of %T objects to return a tuple, not %T",
+                             original, arg);
+                Py_DECREF(arg);
+                return NULL;
+            }
             jarg = tuple_extend(&newargs, jarg,
                     &PyTuple_GET_ITEM(arg, 0), PyTuple_GET_SIZE(arg));
             Py_DECREF(arg);
             if (jarg < 0) {
                 Py_DECREF(item);
                 Py_XDECREF(tuple_args);
+                assert(newargs == NULL);
                 return NULL;
             }
         }