diff --git a/pkg/kapp/diff/masked_resource.go b/pkg/kapp/diff/masked_resource.go
index 66415d16f..da06eaba2 100644
--- a/pkg/kapp/diff/masked_resource.go
+++ b/pkg/kapp/diff/masked_resource.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ func NewMaskedResource(res ctlres.Resource, rules []ctlconf.DiffMaskRule) Masked
 	if res == nil {
 		panic("Expected res be non-nil")
 	}
-	return MaskedResource{res.DeepCopy(), rules}
+	return MaskedResource{res, rules}
 }
 
 func (r MaskedResource) Resource() (ctlres.Resource, error) {
diff --git a/pkg/kapp/diff/rebased_resource.go b/pkg/kapp/diff/rebased_resource.go
index 7833a68d8..1ad53d027 100644
--- a/pkg/kapp/diff/rebased_resource.go
+++ b/pkg/kapp/diff/rebased_resource.go
@@ -19,13 +19,6 @@ func NewRebasedResource(existingRes, newRes ctlres.Resource, mods []ctlres.Resou
 		panic("Expected either existingRes or newRes be non-nil")
 	}
 
-	if existingRes != nil {
-		existingRes = existingRes.DeepCopy()
-	}
-	if newRes != nil {
-		newRes = newRes.DeepCopy()
-	}
-
 	return RebasedResource{existingRes: existingRes, newRes: newRes, mods: mods}
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/kapp/diff/resource_with_removed_fields.go b/pkg/kapp/diff/resource_with_removed_fields.go
index 4fef24b40..c40dd9fea 100644
--- a/pkg/kapp/diff/resource_with_removed_fields.go
+++ b/pkg/kapp/diff/resource_with_removed_fields.go
@@ -13,9 +13,6 @@ type ResourceWithRemovedFields struct {
 }
 
 func NewResourceWithRemovedFields(res ctlres.Resource, mods []ctlres.FieldRemoveMod) ResourceWithRemovedFields {
-	if res != nil {
-		res = res.DeepCopy()
-	}
 	return ResourceWithRemovedFields{res: res, mods: mods}
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/kapp/resources/resource_with_managed_fields.go b/pkg/kapp/resources/resource_with_managed_fields.go
index c37bd099a..2aefa458e 100644
--- a/pkg/kapp/resources/resource_with_managed_fields.go
+++ b/pkg/kapp/resources/resource_with_managed_fields.go
@@ -9,9 +9,6 @@ type ResourceWithManagedFields struct {
 }
 
 func NewResourceWithManagedFields(res Resource, managedFields bool) ResourceWithManagedFields {
-	if res != nil {
-		res = res.DeepCopy()
-	}
 	return ResourceWithManagedFields{res: res, managedFields: managedFields}
 }