diff --git a/lisp/doom-ui.el b/lisp/doom-ui.el
index 360998c66..ab5e116a3 100644
--- a/lisp/doom-ui.el
+++ b/lisp/doom-ui.el
@@ -546,7 +546,9 @@ windows, switch to `doom-fallback-buffer'. Otherwise, delegate to original
         (dolist (script '(symbol mathematical))
           (set-fontset-font t script symbol-font)))
       (when emoji-font
-        (set-fontset-font t 'emoji emoji-font)
+        ;; DEPRECATED: make unconditional when we drop 27 support
+        (when (version<= "28.1" emacs-version)
+          (set-fontset-font t 'emoji emoji-font))
         ;; some characters in the Emacs symbol script are often covered by emoji
         ;; fonts
         (set-fontset-font t 'symbol emoji-font nil 'append)))