diff --git a/packages/react-core/src/components/HelperText/HelperTextItem.tsx b/packages/react-core/src/components/HelperText/HelperTextItem.tsx
index 5595c0dd3b6..dfc05278293 100644
--- a/packages/react-core/src/components/HelperText/HelperTextItem.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-core/src/components/HelperText/HelperTextItem.tsx
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ export const HelperTextItem: React.FunctionComponent<HelperTextItemProps> = ({
   const Component = component as any;
   const isNotDefaultVariant = variant !== 'default';
   const defaultIcon = isNotDefaultVariant && defaultVariantIcons[variant];
+  const shouldRenderSRText = isNotDefaultVariant && screenReaderText && screenReaderText !== '';
   return (
     <Component
       className={css(styles.helperTextItem, isNotDefaultVariant && styles.modifiers[variant], className)}
@@ -66,7 +67,7 @@ export const HelperTextItem: React.FunctionComponent<HelperTextItemProps> = ({
 
       <span className={css(styles.helperTextItemText)}>
         {children}
-        {isNotDefaultVariant && <span className="pf-v6-screen-reader">: {screenReaderText};</span>}
+        {shouldRenderSRText && <span className="pf-v6-screen-reader">: {screenReaderText};</span>}
       </span>
     </Component>
   );
diff --git a/packages/react-core/src/components/HelperText/__tests__/HelperTextItem.test.tsx b/packages/react-core/src/components/HelperText/__tests__/HelperTextItem.test.tsx
index 0213ffbbd9f..f6a3af0e33f 100644
--- a/packages/react-core/src/components/HelperText/__tests__/HelperTextItem.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-core/src/components/HelperText/__tests__/HelperTextItem.test.tsx
@@ -53,6 +53,18 @@ Object.values(['indeterminate', 'warning', 'success', 'error']).forEach((variant
     );
     expect(screen.getByText(`: ${variant} status;`)).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
+
+  test('Renders without screenreader text when screenReaderText is empty string', () => {
+    render(
+      <HelperTextItem
+        screenReaderText=""
+        variant={variant as 'default' | 'indeterminate' | 'warning' | 'success' | 'error'}
+      >
+        text
+      </HelperTextItem>
+    );
+    expect(screen.queryByText(`: ${variant} status;`)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
 });
 
 test('Renders custom screen reader text', () => {