diff --git a/pkg/controller/kubelet-config/kubelet_config_nodes.go b/pkg/controller/kubelet-config/kubelet_config_nodes.go
index 65a43676e7..c77d8aa689 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/kubelet-config/kubelet_config_nodes.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/kubelet-config/kubelet_config_nodes.go
@@ -73,10 +73,6 @@ func (ctrl *Controller) syncNodeConfigHandler(key string) error {
 		err := fmt.Errorf("could not fetch Node: %w", err)
 		return err
 	}
-	if err := ctrl.cleanUpDuplicatedMC(managedNodeConfigKeyPrefix); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
 	// Fetch the controllerconfig
 	cc, err := ctrl.ccLister.Get(ctrlcommon.ControllerConfigName)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -163,6 +159,9 @@ func (ctrl *Controller) syncNodeConfigHandler(key string) error {
 		klog.Infof("Applied Node configuration %v on MachineConfigPool %v", key, pool.Name)
 		ctrlcommon.UpdateStateMetric(ctrlcommon.MCCSubControllerState, "machine-config-controller-kubelet-config", "Sync NodeConfig", pool.Name)
 	}
+	if err := ctrl.cleanUpDuplicatedMC(managedNodeConfigKeyPrefix); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	// fetch the kubeletconfigs
 	kcs, err := ctrl.mckLister.List(labels.Everything())
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/controller/kubelet-config/kubelet_config_nodes_test.go b/pkg/controller/kubelet-config/kubelet_config_nodes_test.go
index e75fcb786f..fb94bbbb1b 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/kubelet-config/kubelet_config_nodes_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/kubelet-config/kubelet_config_nodes_test.go
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ func TestNodeConfigDefault(t *testing.T) {
 			f.expectGetMachineConfigAction(mcsDeprecated)
 			f.expectGetMachineConfigAction(mcs)
 			f.expectCreateMachineConfigAction(mcs)
+			f.expectGetMachineConfigAction(mcs)
 			f.runNode(getKeyFromConfigNode(nodeConfig, t))
 		})
 	}