diff --git a/homeassistant/components/esphome/__init__.py b/homeassistant/components/esphome/__init__.py
index 2e33742b8e5..b3fd4c5075c 100644
--- a/homeassistant/components/esphome/__init__.py
+++ b/homeassistant/components/esphome/__init__.py
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ async def async_setup_entry(hass: HomeAssistant, entry: ConfigEntry) -> bool:
 
             # Only communicate changes to the state or attribute tracked
             if (
-                "old_state" in event.data
+                event.data.get("old_state") is not None
                 and "new_state" in event.data
                 and (
                     (