diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php
index baf83b6011ea14e1adffd521268e6f51a6e66f0e..0cca90472bf309808fd0b15d4967b5f0ac69855d 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Field/Plugin/Field/FieldType/EntityReferenceItem.php
@@ -551,7 +551,7 @@ public static function onDependencyRemoval(FieldDefinitionInterface $field_defin
               // setting, disable the auto-creation feature completely.
               $auto_create_bundle = !empty($handler_settings['auto_create_bundle']) ? $handler_settings['auto_create_bundle'] : FALSE;
               if ($auto_create_bundle && $auto_create_bundle == $bundle->id()) {
-                $handler_settings['auto_create'] = NULL;
+                $handler_settings['auto_create'] = FALSE;
                 $handler_settings['auto_create_bundle'] = NULL;
               }
 
diff --git a/core/modules/field/tests/src/Functional/EntityReference/EntityReferenceAdminTest.php b/core/modules/field/tests/src/Functional/EntityReference/EntityReferenceAdminTest.php
index 8510539c56834748ec363ea7ae1633545da5fd91..9d82101c0ad421c1dc9c1ab903fcc47fc85cfe02 100644
--- a/core/modules/field/tests/src/Functional/EntityReference/EntityReferenceAdminTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/field/tests/src/Functional/EntityReference/EntityReferenceAdminTest.php
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ public function testMultipleTargetBundles() {
     // should be reset (no auto-creation).
     $vocabularies[1]->delete();
     $field_config = FieldConfig::load($field_id);
-    $this->assertFalse($field_config->getSetting('handler_settings')['auto_create']);
+    $this->assertSame(FALSE, $field_config->getSetting('handler_settings')['auto_create']);
     $this->assertFalse(isset($field_config->getSetting('handler_settings')['auto_create_bundle']));
   }