diff --git a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/fabric/FabricUIManager.java b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/fabric/FabricUIManager.java
index 6959c275f..2cadd153c 100644
--- a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/fabric/FabricUIManager.java
+++ b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/fabric/FabricUIManager.java
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ public class FabricUIManager implements UIManager {
       ViewManager viewManager = mViewManagerRegistry.get(viewName);
       ReactShadowNode node = viewManager.createShadowNodeInstance(mReactApplicationContext);
       ReactShadowNode rootNode = getRootNode(rootTag);
-      node.setRootNode(rootNode);
+      node.setRootTag(rootNode.getReactTag());
       node.setViewClassName(viewName);
       node.setReactTag(reactTag);
       node.setThemedContext(rootNode.getThemedContext());
diff --git a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/NativeViewHierarchyOptimizer.java b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/NativeViewHierarchyOptimizer.java
index de23eeaa1..b65627798 100644
--- a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/NativeViewHierarchyOptimizer.java
+++ b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/NativeViewHierarchyOptimizer.java
@@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ public class NativeViewHierarchyOptimizer {
 
     // Create the view since it doesn't exist in the native hierarchy yet
     mUIViewOperationQueue.enqueueCreateView(
-        node.getRootNode().getThemedContext(),
+        node.getThemedContext(),
         node.getReactTag(),
         node.getViewClass(),
         props);
diff --git a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/ReactShadowNode.java b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/ReactShadowNode.java
index dbf64b135..7790a49dd 100644
--- a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/ReactShadowNode.java
+++ b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/ReactShadowNode.java
@@ -139,9 +139,9 @@ public interface ReactShadowNode<T extends ReactShadowNode> {
 
   void setReactTag(int reactTag);
 
-  T getRootNode();
+  int getRootTag();
 
-  void setRootNode(T rootNode);
+  void setRootTag(int rootTag);
 
   void setViewClassName(String viewClassName);
 
diff --git a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/ReactShadowNodeImpl.java b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/ReactShadowNodeImpl.java
index 5f4ad868f..e6b4a9012 100644
--- a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/ReactShadowNodeImpl.java
+++ b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/ReactShadowNodeImpl.java
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@ public class ReactShadowNodeImpl implements ReactShadowNode<ReactShadowNodeImpl>
 
   private int mReactTag;
   private @Nullable String mViewClassName;
-  private @Nullable ReactShadowNodeImpl mRootNode;
   private int mRootTag;
   private @Nullable ThemedReactContext mThemedContext;
   private boolean mShouldNotifyOnLayout;
@@ -118,7 +117,6 @@ public class ReactShadowNodeImpl implements ReactShadowNode<ReactShadowNodeImpl>
     mReactTag = original.mReactTag;
     mRootTag = original.mRootTag;
     mViewClassName = original.mViewClassName;
-    mRootNode = original.mRootNode;
     mThemedContext = original.mThemedContext;
     mShouldNotifyOnLayout = original.mShouldNotifyOnLayout;
     mNodeUpdated = original.mNodeUpdated;
@@ -493,13 +491,14 @@ public class ReactShadowNodeImpl implements ReactShadowNode<ReactShadowNodeImpl>
   }
 
   @Override
-  public final ReactShadowNodeImpl getRootNode() {
-    return Assertions.assertNotNull(mRootNode);
+  public final int getRootTag() {
+    Assertions.assertCondition(mRootTag != 0);
+    return mRootTag;
   }
 
   @Override
-  public final void setRootNode(ReactShadowNodeImpl rootNode) {
-    mRootNode = rootNode;
+  public final void setRootTag(int rootTag) {
+    mRootTag = rootTag;
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/UIImplementation.java b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/UIImplementation.java
index f33ab6057..186a4d435 100644
--- a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/UIImplementation.java
+++ b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/uimanager/UIImplementation.java
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ public class UIImplementation {
     Assertions.assertNotNull(rootNode, "Root node with tag " + rootViewTag + " doesn't exist");
     cssNode.setReactTag(tag);
     cssNode.setViewClassName(className);
-    cssNode.setRootNode(rootNode);
+    cssNode.setRootTag(rootNode.getReactTag());
     cssNode.setThemedContext(rootNode.getThemedContext());
 
     mShadowNodeRegistry.addNode(cssNode);
@@ -1008,7 +1008,7 @@ public class UIImplementation {
     ReactShadowNode node = resolveShadowNode(reactTag);
     int rootTag = 0;
     if (node != null) {
-      rootTag = node.getRootNode().getReactTag();
+      rootTag = node.getRootTag();
     } else {
       FLog.w(
         ReactConstants.TAG,