diff --git a/app/controllers/api/v1/statuses_controller.rb b/app/controllers/api/v1/statuses_controller.rb
index 065ec07613..44ae3aae19 100644
--- a/app/controllers/api/v1/statuses_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/api/v1/statuses_controller.rb
@@ -49,6 +49,11 @@ class Api::V1::StatusesController < Api::BaseController
     loaded_descendants  = cache_collection(descendants_results, Status)
     loaded_references   = cache_collection(references_results, Status)
 
+    unless params[:with_reference]
+      loaded_ancestors = (loaded_ancestors + loaded_references).uniq(&:id)
+      loaded_references = []
+    end
+
     @context = Context.new(ancestors: loaded_ancestors, descendants: loaded_descendants, references: loaded_references)
     statuses = [@status] + @context.ancestors + @context.descendants + @context.references
 
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/actions/statuses.js b/app/javascript/mastodon/actions/statuses.js
index b9779cdcf4..9807e6f67c 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/actions/statuses.js
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/actions/statuses.js
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ export function fetchContext(id) {
   return (dispatch, getState) => {
     dispatch(fetchContextRequest(id));
 
-    api(getState).get(`/api/v1/statuses/${id}/context`).then(response => {
+    api(getState).get(`/api/v1/statuses/${id}/context?with_reference=1`).then(response => {
       dispatch(importFetchedStatuses(response.data.ancestors.concat(response.data.descendants).concat(response.data.references)));
       dispatch(fetchContextSuccess(id, response.data.ancestors, response.data.descendants, response.data.references));
 
diff --git a/spec/controllers/api/v1/statuses_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/api/v1/statuses_controller_spec.rb
index 30bafe19ac..952a2e3b40 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/api/v1/statuses_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/api/v1/statuses_controller_spec.rb
@@ -108,6 +108,69 @@ RSpec.describe Api::V1::StatusesController do
       end
     end
 
+    context 'with reference' do
+      let(:status) { Fabricate(:status, account: user.account) }
+      let(:scopes) { 'read:statuses' }
+      let(:referred) { Fabricate(:status) }
+      let(:referred_private) { Fabricate(:status, visibility: :private) }
+      let(:referred_private_following) { Fabricate(:status, visibility: :private) }
+
+      before do
+        user.account.follow!(referred_private_following.account)
+        Fabricate(:status_reference, status: status, target_status: referred)
+        Fabricate(:status_reference, status: status, target_status: referred_private)
+        Fabricate(:status_reference, status: status, target_status: referred_private_following)
+      end
+
+      it 'returns http success' do
+        get :context, params: { id: status.id }
+        expect(response).to have_http_status(200)
+      end
+
+      it 'returns empty references' do
+        get :context, params: { id: status.id }
+        status_ids = body_as_json[:references].map { |ref| ref[:id].to_i }
+
+        expect(status_ids).to eq []
+      end
+
+      it 'contains referred status' do
+        get :context, params: { id: status.id }
+        status_ids = body_as_json[:ancestors].map { |ref| ref[:id].to_i }
+
+        expect(status_ids).to include referred.id
+        expect(status_ids).to include referred_private_following.id
+      end
+
+      it 'does not contain private status' do
+        get :context, params: { id: status.id }
+        status_ids = body_as_json[:ancestors].map { |ref| ref[:id].to_i }
+
+        expect(status_ids).to_not include referred_private.id
+      end
+
+      context 'when with_reference is enabled' do
+        it 'returns http success' do
+          get :context, params: { id: status.id, with_reference: true }
+          expect(response).to have_http_status(200)
+        end
+
+        it 'returns empty ancestors' do
+          get :context, params: { id: status.id, with_reference: true }
+          status_ids = body_as_json[:ancestors].map { |ref| ref[:id].to_i }
+
+          expect(status_ids).to eq []
+        end
+
+        it 'contains referred status' do
+          get :context, params: { id: status.id, with_reference: true }
+          status_ids = body_as_json[:references].map { |ref| ref[:id].to_i }
+
+          expect(status_ids).to include referred.id
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
     describe 'POST #create' do
       let(:scopes) { 'write:statuses' }