diff --git a/src/libs/ReportUtils.ts b/src/libs/ReportUtils.ts
index 1a4736e5cd32..201247fe9b89 100644
--- a/src/libs/ReportUtils.ts
+++ b/src/libs/ReportUtils.ts
@@ -5227,7 +5227,7 @@ function isUnread(report: OnyxEntry<Report>): boolean {
         return false;
     }
 
-    if (isEmptyReport(report)) {
+    if (isEmptyReport(report) && !isSelfDM(report)) {
         return false;
     }
     // lastVisibleActionCreated and lastReadTime are both datetime strings and can be compared directly