diff --git a/kernel/trace/ring_buffer.c b/kernel/trace/ring_buffer.c
index b9dad3500041..342f49c3ccc5 100644
--- a/kernel/trace/ring_buffer.c
+++ b/kernel/trace/ring_buffer.c
@@ -2814,6 +2814,17 @@ rb_try_to_discard(struct ring_buffer_per_cpu *cpu_buffer,
 				       write_stamp, write_stamp - delta))
 			return 0;
 
+		/*
+		 * It's possible that the event time delta is zero
+		 * (has the same time stamp as the previous event)
+		 * in which case write_stamp and before_stamp could
+		 * be the same. In such a case, force before_stamp
+		 * to be different than write_stamp. It doesn't
+		 * matter what it is, as long as its different.
+		 */
+		if (!delta)
+			rb_time_set(&cpu_buffer->before_stamp, 0);
+
 		/*
 		 * If an event were to come in now, it would see that the
 		 * write_stamp and the before_stamp are different, and assume