diff --git a/discovery/kubernetes/endpoints.go b/discovery/kubernetes/endpoints.go
index 2413dab455b..3078cefde19 100644
--- a/discovery/kubernetes/endpoints.go
+++ b/discovery/kubernetes/endpoints.go
@@ -389,18 +389,21 @@ func (e *Endpoints) buildEndpoints(eps *apiv1.Endpoints) *targetgroup.Group {
 					continue
 				}
 
-				a := net.JoinHostPort(pe.pod.Status.PodIP, strconv.FormatUint(uint64(cport.ContainerPort), 10))
-				ports := strconv.FormatUint(uint64(cport.ContainerPort), 10)
-
-				target := model.LabelSet{
-					model.AddressLabel:            lv(a),
-					podContainerNameLabel:         lv(c.Name),
-					podContainerImageLabel:        lv(c.Image),
-					podContainerPortNameLabel:     lv(cport.Name),
-					podContainerPortNumberLabel:   lv(ports),
-					podContainerPortProtocolLabel: lv(string(cport.Protocol)),
+				// PodIP can be empty when a pod is starting or has been evicted.
+				if len(pe.pod.Status.PodIP) != 0 {
+					a := net.JoinHostPort(pe.pod.Status.PodIP, strconv.FormatUint(uint64(cport.ContainerPort), 10))
+					ports := strconv.FormatUint(uint64(cport.ContainerPort), 10)
+
+					target := model.LabelSet{
+						model.AddressLabel:            lv(a),
+						podContainerNameLabel:         lv(c.Name),
+						podContainerImageLabel:        lv(c.Image),
+						podContainerPortNameLabel:     lv(cport.Name),
+						podContainerPortNumberLabel:   lv(ports),
+						podContainerPortProtocolLabel: lv(string(cport.Protocol)),
+					}
+					tg.Targets = append(tg.Targets, target.Merge(podLabels(pe.pod)))
 				}
-				tg.Targets = append(tg.Targets, target.Merge(podLabels(pe.pod)))
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/discovery/kubernetes/endpoints_test.go b/discovery/kubernetes/endpoints_test.go
index 5aa58bdc49c..256ffce1b8b 100644
--- a/discovery/kubernetes/endpoints_test.go
+++ b/discovery/kubernetes/endpoints_test.go
@@ -909,3 +909,46 @@ func TestEndpointsDiscoveryOwnNamespace(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}.Run(t)
 }
+
+func TestEndpointsDiscoveryEmptyPodStatus(t *testing.T) {
+	ep := makeEndpoints()
+	ep.Namespace = "ns"
+
+	pod := &v1.Pod{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "testpod",
+			Namespace: "ns",
+			UID:       types.UID("deadbeef"),
+		},
+		Spec: v1.PodSpec{
+			NodeName: "testnode",
+			Containers: []v1.Container{
+				{
+					Name:  "p1",
+					Image: "p1:latest",
+					Ports: []v1.ContainerPort{
+						{
+							Name:          "mainport",
+							ContainerPort: 9000,
+							Protocol:      v1.ProtocolTCP,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		Status: v1.PodStatus{},
+	}
+
+	objs := []runtime.Object{
+		ep,
+		pod,
+	}
+
+	n, _ := makeDiscovery(RoleEndpoint, NamespaceDiscovery{IncludeOwnNamespace: true}, objs...)
+
+	k8sDiscoveryTest{
+		discovery:        n,
+		expectedMaxItems: 0,
+		expectedRes:      map[string]*targetgroup.Group{},
+	}.Run(t)
+}
diff --git a/discovery/kubernetes/endpointslice.go b/discovery/kubernetes/endpointslice.go
index c7df6425256..1eb3fc18073 100644
--- a/discovery/kubernetes/endpointslice.go
+++ b/discovery/kubernetes/endpointslice.go
@@ -416,18 +416,21 @@ func (e *EndpointSlice) buildEndpointSlice(eps endpointSliceAdaptor) *targetgrou
 					continue
 				}
 
-				a := net.JoinHostPort(pe.pod.Status.PodIP, strconv.FormatUint(uint64(cport.ContainerPort), 10))
-				ports := strconv.FormatUint(uint64(cport.ContainerPort), 10)
-
-				target := model.LabelSet{
-					model.AddressLabel:            lv(a),
-					podContainerNameLabel:         lv(c.Name),
-					podContainerImageLabel:        lv(c.Image),
-					podContainerPortNameLabel:     lv(cport.Name),
-					podContainerPortNumberLabel:   lv(ports),
-					podContainerPortProtocolLabel: lv(string(cport.Protocol)),
+				// PodIP can be empty when a pod is starting or has been evicted.
+				if len(pe.pod.Status.PodIP) != 0 {
+					a := net.JoinHostPort(pe.pod.Status.PodIP, strconv.FormatUint(uint64(cport.ContainerPort), 10))
+					ports := strconv.FormatUint(uint64(cport.ContainerPort), 10)
+
+					target := model.LabelSet{
+						model.AddressLabel:            lv(a),
+						podContainerNameLabel:         lv(c.Name),
+						podContainerImageLabel:        lv(c.Image),
+						podContainerPortNameLabel:     lv(cport.Name),
+						podContainerPortNumberLabel:   lv(ports),
+						podContainerPortProtocolLabel: lv(string(cport.Protocol)),
+					}
+					tg.Targets = append(tg.Targets, target.Merge(podLabels(pe.pod)))
 				}
-				tg.Targets = append(tg.Targets, target.Merge(podLabels(pe.pod)))
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/discovery/kubernetes/endpointslice_test.go b/discovery/kubernetes/endpointslice_test.go
index 8104e3db3b6..0c31147a93d 100644
--- a/discovery/kubernetes/endpointslice_test.go
+++ b/discovery/kubernetes/endpointslice_test.go
@@ -1312,3 +1312,46 @@ func TestEndpointSliceDiscoveryOwnNamespace(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}.Run(t)
 }
+
+func TestEndpointSliceDiscoveryEmptyPodStatus(t *testing.T) {
+	ep := makeEndpointSliceV1()
+	ep.Namespace = "ns"
+
+	pod := &corev1.Pod{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "testpod",
+			Namespace: "ns",
+			UID:       types.UID("deadbeef"),
+		},
+		Spec: corev1.PodSpec{
+			NodeName: "testnode",
+			Containers: []corev1.Container{
+				{
+					Name:  "p1",
+					Image: "p1:latest",
+					Ports: []corev1.ContainerPort{
+						{
+							Name:          "mainport",
+							ContainerPort: 9000,
+							Protocol:      corev1.ProtocolTCP,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		Status: corev1.PodStatus{},
+	}
+
+	objs := []runtime.Object{
+		ep,
+		pod,
+	}
+
+	n, _ := makeDiscovery(RoleEndpoint, NamespaceDiscovery{IncludeOwnNamespace: true}, objs...)
+
+	k8sDiscoveryTest{
+		discovery:        n,
+		expectedMaxItems: 0,
+		expectedRes:      map[string]*targetgroup.Group{},
+	}.Run(t)
+}