diff --git a/ReactCommon/fabric/components/root/RootShadowNode.cpp b/ReactCommon/fabric/components/root/RootShadowNode.cpp
index 30d817bc6d2..f10e7ee3ce7 100644
--- a/ReactCommon/fabric/components/root/RootShadowNode.cpp
+++ b/ReactCommon/fabric/components/root/RootShadowNode.cpp
@@ -39,29 +39,32 @@ UnsharedRootShadowNode RootShadowNode::clone(
     const SharedShadowNode &oldShadowNode,
     const SharedShadowNode &newShadowNode) const {
   std::vector<std::reference_wrapper<const ShadowNode>> ancestors;
-  oldShadowNode->constructAncestorPath(*this, ancestors);
 
-  if (ancestors.size() == 0) {
+  if (!oldShadowNode->constructAncestorPath(*this, ancestors)) {
     return UnsharedRootShadowNode{nullptr};
   }
 
   auto oldChild = oldShadowNode;
   auto newChild = newShadowNode;
 
-  SharedShadowNodeUnsharedList sharedChildren;
-
   for (const auto &ancestor : ancestors) {
-    auto children = ancestor.get().getChildren();
+    auto oldParent = ancestor.get().shared_from_this();
+
+    auto children = oldParent->getChildren();
     std::replace(children.begin(), children.end(), oldChild, newChild);
 
-    sharedChildren = std::make_shared<SharedShadowNodeList>(children);
+    auto sharedChildren = std::make_shared<SharedShadowNodeList>(children);
+    auto newParent =
+        oldParent->clone(ShadowNodeFragment{.children = sharedChildren});
 
-    oldChild = ancestor.get().shared_from_this();
-    newChild = oldChild->clone(ShadowNodeFragment{.children = sharedChildren});
+    newParent->replaceChild(oldChild, newChild);
+
+    oldChild = oldParent;
+    newChild = newParent;
   }
 
-  return std::make_shared<RootShadowNode>(
-      *this, ShadowNodeFragment{.children = sharedChildren});
+  return std::const_pointer_cast<RootShadowNode>(
+      std::static_pointer_cast<const RootShadowNode>(newChild));
 }
 
 } // namespace react