diff --git a/src/joystick/darwin/SDL_sysjoystick.c b/src/joystick/darwin/SDL_sysjoystick.c
index ac40e322d..8e641d496 100644
--- a/src/joystick/darwin/SDL_sysjoystick.c
+++ b/src/joystick/darwin/SDL_sysjoystick.c
@@ -560,10 +560,6 @@ SDL_SYS_NumJoysticks()
 void
 SDL_SYS_JoystickDetect()
 {
-    while (CFRunLoopRunInMode(SDL_JOYSTICK_RUNLOOP_MODE,0,TRUE) == kCFRunLoopRunHandledSource) {
-        /* no-op. Pending callbacks will fire in CFRunLoopRunInMode(). */
-    }
-
     if (s_bDeviceAdded || s_bDeviceRemoved) {
         recDevice *device = gpDeviceList;
         s_bDeviceAdded = SDL_FALSE;
@@ -613,6 +609,12 @@ SDL_SYS_JoystickDetect()
             }
         }
     }
+
+	// run this after the checks above so we don't set device->removed and delete the device before
+	// SDL_SYS_JoystickUpdate can run to clean up the SDL_Joystick object that owns this device
+	while (CFRunLoopRunInMode(SDL_JOYSTICK_RUNLOOP_MODE,0,TRUE) == kCFRunLoopRunHandledSource) {
+		/* no-op. Pending callbacks will fire in CFRunLoopRunInMode(). */
+	}
 }
 
 /* Function to get the device-dependent name of a joystick */