diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_view.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_view.js
index fbfa80c465..0458c2d16c 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_view.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/message_list_view.js
@@ -44,6 +44,12 @@ mock_esm("../../static/js/rows", {
     },
 });
 
+mock_esm("../../static/js/people", {
+    sender_is_bot: () => false,
+    sender_is_guest: () => false,
+    small_avatar_url: () => "fake/small/avatar/url",
+});
+
 const {Filter} = zrequire("../js/filter");
 const {MessageListView} = zrequire("../js/message_list_view");
 const message_list = zrequire("message_list");
@@ -283,6 +289,11 @@ test("muted_message_vars", () => {
         // Sender is not muted.
         let result = calculate_variables(list, messages);
 
+        // sanity check on mocked values
+        assert.equal(result[1].sender_is_bot, false);
+        assert.equal(result[1].sender_is_guest, false);
+        assert.equal(result[1].small_avatar_url, "fake/small/avatar/url");
+
         // Check that `is_hidden` is false on all messages, and `include_sender` has not changed.
         assert.equal(result[0].is_hidden, false);
         assert.equal(result[1].is_hidden, false);
diff --git a/static/js/message_list_view.js b/static/js/message_list_view.js
index 74f464eba6..2d9740a6f0 100644
--- a/static/js/message_list_view.js
+++ b/static/js/message_list_view.js
@@ -295,6 +295,16 @@ export class MessageListView {
             message_container.include_sender = true;
         }
 
+        message_container.sender_is_bot = people.sender_is_bot(message_container.msg);
+        message_container.sender_is_guest = people.sender_is_guest(message_container.msg);
+
+        message_container.small_avatar_url = people.small_avatar_url(message_container.msg);
+        if (message_container.msg.stream) {
+            message_container.background_color = stream_data.get_color(
+                message_container.msg.stream,
+            );
+        }
+
         this._maybe_format_me_message(message_container);
         // Once all other variables are updated
         this._add_msg_edited_vars(message_container);
@@ -411,16 +421,6 @@ export class MessageListView {
                 message_container.include_sender = false;
             }
 
-            message_container.sender_is_bot = people.sender_is_bot(message_container.msg);
-            message_container.sender_is_guest = people.sender_is_guest(message_container.msg);
-
-            message_container.small_avatar_url = people.small_avatar_url(message_container.msg);
-            if (message_container.msg.stream) {
-                message_container.background_color = stream_data.get_color(
-                    message_container.msg.stream,
-                );
-            }
-
             this.set_calculated_message_container_variables(message_container);
 
             prev = message_container;