diff --git a/modules/juce_events/timers/juce_Timer.cpp b/modules/juce_events/timers/juce_Timer.cpp
index 462b1420ab..e1c3459e03 100644
--- a/modules/juce_events/timers/juce_Timer.cpp
+++ b/modules/juce_events/timers/juce_Timer.cpp
@@ -321,7 +321,9 @@ Timer::~Timer()
     // been stopped before execution reaches this point. A simple way to achieve this
     // is to add a call to `stopTimer()` to the destructor of your class which inherits
     // from Timer.
-    jassert (MessageManager::existsAndIsCurrentThread() || ! isTimerRunning());
+    jassert (! isTimerRunning()
+             || MessageManager::getInstanceWithoutCreating() == nullptr
+             || MessageManager::getInstanceWithoutCreating()->currentThreadHasLockedMessageManager());
 
     stopTimer();
 }