diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_qt5.py b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_qt5.py
index 3b5ae14bcef8..4aa4782c96ba 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_qt5.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_qt5.py
@@ -481,17 +481,16 @@ def draw_idle(self):
             QtCore.QTimer.singleShot(0, self._draw_idle)
 
     def _draw_idle(self):
-        if self.height() < 0 or self.width() < 0:
-            self._draw_pending = False
         if not self._draw_pending:
             return
+        self._draw_pending = False
+        if self.height() < 0 or self.width() < 0:
+            return
         try:
             self.draw()
         except Exception:
             # Uncaught exceptions are fatal for PyQt5, so catch them instead.
             traceback.print_exc()
-        finally:
-            self._draw_pending = False
 
     def drawRectangle(self, rect):
         # Draw the zoom rectangle to the QPainter.  _draw_rect_callback needs