diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/components/featured_carousel.tsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/featured_carousel.tsx
index efdf275fcb..f84f7865c1 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/components/featured_carousel.tsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/components/featured_carousel.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 import type { ComponentPropsWithRef } from 'react';
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
+import {
+  useCallback,
+  useEffect,
+  useLayoutEffect,
+  useRef,
+  useState,
+} from 'react';
 
 import { defineMessages, FormattedMessage, useIntl } from 'react-intl';
 
@@ -13,6 +19,7 @@ import { useDrag } from '@use-gesture/react';
 import { expandAccountFeaturedTimeline } from '@/mastodon/actions/timelines';
 import { IconButton } from '@/mastodon/components/icon_button';
 import StatusContainer from '@/mastodon/containers/status_container';
+import { usePrevious } from '@/mastodon/hooks/usePrevious';
 import { useAppDispatch, useAppSelector } from '@/mastodon/store';
 import ChevronLeftIcon from '@/material-icons/400-24px/chevron_left.svg?react';
 import ChevronRightIcon from '@/material-icons/400-24px/chevron_right.svg?react';
@@ -74,6 +81,7 @@ export const FeaturedCarousel: React.FC<{
   const [currentSlideHeight, setCurrentSlideHeight] = useState(
     wrapperRef.current?.scrollHeight ?? 0,
   );
+  const previousSlideHeight = usePrevious(currentSlideHeight);
   const observerRef = useRef<ResizeObserver>(
     new ResizeObserver(() => {
       handleSlideChange(0);
@@ -82,8 +90,10 @@ export const FeaturedCarousel: React.FC<{
   const wrapperStyles = useSpring({
     x: `-${slideIndex * 100}%`,
     height: currentSlideHeight,
+    // Don't animate from zero to the height of the initial slide
+    immediate: !previousSlideHeight,
   });
-  useEffect(() => {
+  useLayoutEffect(() => {
     // Update slide height when the component mounts
     if (currentSlideHeight === 0) {
       handleSlideChange(0);
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/hooks/usePrevious.ts b/app/javascript/mastodon/hooks/usePrevious.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..95f42e2ed6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/hooks/usePrevious.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import { useRef, useEffect } from 'react';
+
+/**
+ * Returns the previous state of the passed in value.
+ * On first render, undefined is returned.
+ */
+
+export function usePrevious<T>(value: T): T | undefined {
+  const ref = useRef<T>();
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    ref.current = value;
+  }, [value]);
+
+  return ref.current;
+}