diff --git a/static/js/composebox_typeahead.js b/static/js/composebox_typeahead.js
index b31fb86056..fe876b5463 100644
--- a/static/js/composebox_typeahead.js
+++ b/static/js/composebox_typeahead.js
@@ -433,13 +433,16 @@ exports.initialize = function () {
             return query_matches_person(current_recipient, item);
         },
         sorter: typeahead_helper.sort_recipientbox_typeahead,
-        updater: function (item) {
+        updater: function (item, event) {
             var previous_recipients = exports.get_cleaned_pm_recipients(this.query);
             previous_recipients.pop();
             previous_recipients = previous_recipients.join(", ");
             if (previous_recipients.length !== 0) {
                 previous_recipients += ", ";
             }
+            if (event && event.type === 'click') {
+                ui.focus_on('private_message_recipient');
+            }
             return previous_recipients + item.email + ", ";
         },
         stopAdvance: true // Do not advance to the next field on a tab or enter
diff --git a/static/third/bootstrap/js/bootstrap.js b/static/third/bootstrap/js/bootstrap.js
index 1bd741b173..59e75cbdb2 100644
--- a/static/third/bootstrap/js/bootstrap.js
+++ b/static/third/bootstrap/js/bootstrap.js
@@ -1843,10 +1843,10 @@
 
     constructor: Typeahead
 
-  , select: function () {
+  , select: function (e) {
       var val = this.$menu.find('.active').data('typeahead-value')
       this.$element
-        .val(this.updater(val))
+        .val(this.updater(val, e))
         .change()
       return this.hide()
     }
@@ -2067,7 +2067,7 @@
         case 9: // tab
         case 13: // enter
           if (!this.shown) return
-          this.select()
+          this.select(e)
           break
 
         case 27: // escape
@@ -2098,7 +2098,7 @@
   , click: function (e) {
       e.stopPropagation()
       e.preventDefault()
-      this.select()
+      this.select(e)
     }
 
   , mouseenter: function (e) {