diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js
index a77aa2a04a..ebcc2243f8 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js
@@ -517,6 +517,11 @@ test_ui("insert_fred_then_alice_then_rename", (override) => {
         inserted_html = html;
     };
 
+    let fred_removed;
+    fred_stub.remove = () => {
+        fred_removed = true;
+    };
+
     activity.redraw_user(alice.user_id);
     assert(inserted_html.indexOf('data-user-id="1"') > 0);
     assert(inserted_html.indexOf("user_circle_green") > 0);
@@ -537,6 +542,7 @@ test_ui("insert_fred_then_alice_then_rename", (override) => {
     };
 
     activity.redraw_user(fred_with_new_name.user_id);
+    assert(fred_removed);
     assert(appended_html.indexOf('data-user-id="2"') > 0);
 
     // restore old Fred data
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/alert_words_ui.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/alert_words_ui.js
index 997db23ed1..4645195eab 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/alert_words_ui.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/alert_words_ui.js
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ run_test("render_alert_words_ui", () => {
     const alert_word_items = $.create("alert_word_items");
     word_list.set_find_results(".alert-word-item", alert_word_items);
 
+    alert_word_items.remove = () => {};
+
     stub_templates((name, args) => {
         assert.equal(name, "settings/alert_word_settings_item");
         return "stub-" + args.word;
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/common.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/common.js
index 2fd17c1cfe..e5234e1033 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/common.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/common.js
@@ -32,6 +32,11 @@ run_test("copy_data_attribute_value", (override) => {
 
     const input = $.create("input");
 
+    let removed;
+    input.remove = () => {
+        removed = true;
+    };
+
     override(document, "createElement", () => input);
     override(document, "execCommand", noop);
 
@@ -60,6 +65,7 @@ run_test("copy_data_attribute_value", (override) => {
         faded_in = true;
     };
     common.copy_data_attribute_value(elem, "admin-emails");
+    assert(removed);
     assert(faded_in);
     assert(faded_out);
 });
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose.js
index fff713868e..b0b0c56e93 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose.js
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ test_ui("validate", () => {
     assert.equal($("#compose-error-msg").html(), i18n.t("Please specify a topic"));
 });
 
-test_ui("get_invalid_recipient_emails", () => {
+test_ui("get_invalid_recipient_emails", (override) => {
     const welcome_bot = {
         email: "welcome-bot@example.com",
         user_id: 124,
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ test_ui("get_invalid_recipient_emails", () => {
 
     people.initialize(page_params.user_id, params);
 
-    compose_state.private_message_recipient("welcome-bot@example.com");
+    override(compose_state, "private_message_recipient", () => "welcome-bot@example.com");
     assert.deepEqual(compose.get_invalid_recipient_emails(), []);
 });
 
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/input_pill.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/input_pill.js
index d253a126e0..cdecedfab2 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/input_pill.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/input_pill.js
@@ -403,6 +403,18 @@ run_test("insert_remove", () => {
     assert.equal(pill_input.text(), "");
     assert.equal(widget.is_pending(), false);
 
+    let color_removed;
+    function set_colored_removed_func(color) {
+        return () => {
+            color_removed = color;
+        };
+    }
+
+    const pills = widget._get_pills_for_testing();
+    for (const pill of pills) {
+        pill.$element.remove = set_colored_removed_func(pill.item.display_value);
+    }
+
     const BACKSPACE = 8;
     let key_handler = container.get_on_handler("keydown", ".input");
 
@@ -415,6 +427,7 @@ run_test("insert_remove", () => {
     });
 
     assert(removed);
+    assert.equal(color_removed, "YELLOW");
 
     assert.deepEqual(widget.items(), [items.blue, items.red]);
 
@@ -444,6 +457,7 @@ run_test("insert_remove", () => {
         preventDefault: noop,
     });
 
+    assert.equal(color_removed, "BLUE");
     assert(next_pill_focused);
 });
 
@@ -458,6 +472,11 @@ run_test("exit button on pill", () => {
 
     widget.appendValue("blue,red");
 
+    const pills = widget._get_pills_for_testing();
+    for (const pill of pills) {
+        pill.$element.remove = () => {};
+    }
+
     let next_pill_focused = false;
 
     const next_pill_stub = {
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_muting.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_muting.js
index d6805c3a54..50dd447cec 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_muting.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_muting.js
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ run_test("settings", () => {
         return topic_tr_html;
     };
 
+    topic_tr_html.remove = () => {};
+
     let topic_data_called = 0;
     topic_tr_html.attr = (opts) => {
         if (opts === "data-stream-id") {
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_org.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_org.js
index 8726b40239..f15b270453 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_org.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_org.js
@@ -99,7 +99,9 @@ run_test("unloaded", () => {
 });
 
 function simulate_realm_domains_table() {
-    $("#realm_domains_table tbody").set_find_results("tr", $.create("realm-tr-stub"));
+    const tr_stub = $.create("realm-tr-stub");
+    $("#realm_domains_table tbody").set_find_results("tr", tr_stub);
+    tr_stub.remove = () => {};
 
     let appended;
     $("#realm_domains_table tbody").append = (html) => {
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_profile_fields.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_profile_fields.js
index aebeb76760..fc6c7ff21d 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_profile_fields.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/settings_profile_fields.js
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ function test_populate(opts) {
 
     table[0] = "stub";
 
+    rows.remove = () => {};
+    form.remove = () => {};
+
     let num_appends = 0;
     table.append = () => {
         num_appends += 1;
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/spoilers.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/spoilers.js
index 0d7383b93f..ac940a6c84 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/spoilers.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/spoilers.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ const get_spoiler_elem = (title) => {
     const block = $.create(`block-${title}`);
     const header = $.create(`header-${title}`);
     const content = $.create(`content-${title}`);
+    content.remove = () => {};
     header.text(title);
     block.set_find_results(".spoiler-header", header);
     block.set_find_results(".spoiler-content", content);
diff --git a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/zjquery.js b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/zjquery.js
index 635bb1825e..da346fd277 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/zjquery.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/zjquery.js
@@ -342,7 +342,14 @@ function make_new_elem(selector, opts) {
             return self;
         },
         remove() {
-            return self;
+            throw new Error(`
+                We don't support remove in zjuery.
+
+                You can do $(...).remove = ... if necessary.
+
+                But you are probably writing too deep a test
+                for node testing.
+            `);
         },
         removeData: noop,
         replaceWith() {