diff --git a/Modules/_ctypes/callbacks.c b/Modules/_ctypes/callbacks.c
index 9f5e5d029ad..9e1aa4f8cc5 100644
--- a/Modules/_ctypes/callbacks.c
+++ b/Modules/_ctypes/callbacks.c
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ PrintError(char *msg, ...)
 	va_start(marker, msg);
 	vsnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), msg, marker);
 	va_end(marker);
-	if (f)
+	if (f != NULL && f != Py_None)
 		PyFile_WriteString(buf, f);
 	PyErr_Print();
 }
diff --git a/Modules/_cursesmodule.c b/Modules/_cursesmodule.c
index cf412d8777c..3a88360b326 100644
--- a/Modules/_cursesmodule.c
+++ b/Modules/_cursesmodule.c
@@ -2010,7 +2010,7 @@ PyCurses_setupterm(PyObject* self, PyObject *args, PyObject* keywds)
 
 		sys_stdout = PySys_GetObject("stdout");
 
-		if (sys_stdout == NULL) {
+		if (sys_stdout == NULL || sys_stdout == Py_None) {
 			PyErr_SetString(
 				PyCursesError,
 				"lost sys.stdout");
diff --git a/Modules/threadmodule.c b/Modules/threadmodule.c
index 62ea6608604..876d5e2af32 100644
--- a/Modules/threadmodule.c
+++ b/Modules/threadmodule.c
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ t_bootstrap(void *boot_raw)
 			PySys_WriteStderr(
 				"Unhandled exception in thread started by ");
 			file = PySys_GetObject("stderr");
-			if (file)
+			if (file != NULL && file != Py_None)
 				PyFile_WriteObject(boot->func, file, 0);
 			else
 				PyObject_Print(boot->func, stderr, 0);
diff --git a/Python/bltinmodule.c b/Python/bltinmodule.c
index 755bfc1b389..1b1593e3cee 100644
--- a/Python/bltinmodule.c
+++ b/Python/bltinmodule.c
@@ -1265,17 +1265,17 @@ builtin_input(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
 		return NULL;
 
 	/* Check that stdin/out/err are intact */
-	if (fin == NULL) {
+	if (fin == NULL || fin == Py_None) {
 		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError,
 				"input(): lost sys.stdin");
 		return NULL;
 	}
-	if (fout == NULL) {
+	if (fout == NULL || fout == Py_None) {
 		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError,
 				"input(): lost sys.stdout");
 		return NULL;
 	}
-	if (ferr == NULL) {
+	if (ferr == NULL || ferr == Py_None) {
 		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError,
 				"input(): lost sys.stderr");
 		return NULL;
diff --git a/Python/errors.c b/Python/errors.c
index b45dad46e62..1cd5dfdadab 100644
--- a/Python/errors.c
+++ b/Python/errors.c
@@ -626,7 +626,7 @@ PyErr_WriteUnraisable(PyObject *obj)
 	PyObject *f, *t, *v, *tb;
 	PyErr_Fetch(&t, &v, &tb);
 	f = PySys_GetObject("stderr");
-	if (f != NULL) {
+	if (f != NULL && f != Py_None) {
 		PyFile_WriteString("Exception ", f);
 		if (t) {
 			PyObject* moduleName;
diff --git a/Python/pythonrun.c b/Python/pythonrun.c
index 763f9059bb5..86439517ca0 100644
--- a/Python/pythonrun.c
+++ b/Python/pythonrun.c
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ flush_std_files(void)
 	PyObject *ferr = PySys_GetObject("stderr");
 	PyObject *tmp;
 
-	if (fout != NULL) {
+	if (fout != NULL && fout != Py_None) {
 		tmp = PyObject_CallMethod(fout, "flush", "");
 		if (tmp == NULL)
 			PyErr_Clear();
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ flush_std_files(void)
 			Py_DECREF(tmp);
 	}
 
-	if (ferr != NULL) {
+	if (ferr != NULL || ferr != Py_None) {
 		tmp = PyObject_CallMethod(ferr, "flush", "");
 		if (tmp == NULL)
 			PyErr_Clear();
@@ -693,6 +693,8 @@ initsite(void)
 	m = PyImport_ImportModule("site");
 	if (m == NULL) {
 		f = PySys_GetObject("stderr");
+		if (f == NULL || f == Py_None)
+			return;
 		if (Py_VerboseFlag) {
 			PyFile_WriteString(
 				"'import site' failed; traceback:\n", f);
@@ -900,7 +902,7 @@ PyRun_InteractiveOneFlags(FILE *fp, const char *filename, PyCompilerFlags *flags
 	if (fp == stdin) {
 		/* Fetch encoding from sys.stdin */
 		v = PySys_GetObject("stdin");
-		if (!v)
+		if (v == NULL || v == Py_None)
 			return -1;
 		oenc = PyObject_GetAttrString(v, "encoding");
 		if (!oenc)
@@ -1293,7 +1295,10 @@ PyErr_Display(PyObject *exception, PyObject *value, PyObject *tb)
 	int err = 0;
 	PyObject *f = PySys_GetObject("stderr");
 	Py_INCREF(value);
-	if (f == NULL) {
+	if (f == Py_None) {
+		/* pass */
+	}
+	else if (f == NULL) {
 		_PyObject_Dump(value);
 		fprintf(stderr, "lost sys.stderr\n");
 	}
diff --git a/Python/sysmodule.c b/Python/sysmodule.c
index b77d18417ac..2fcba5471c2 100644
--- a/Python/sysmodule.c
+++ b/Python/sysmodule.c
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ sys_displayhook(PyObject *self, PyObject *o)
 	if (PyObject_SetAttrString(builtins, "_", Py_None) != 0)
 		return NULL;
 	outf = PySys_GetObject("stdout");
-	if (outf == NULL) {
+	if (outf == NULL || outf == Py_None) {
 		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "lost sys.stdout");
 		return NULL;
 	}