diff --git a/Lib/multiprocessing/popen_fork.py b/Lib/multiprocessing/popen_fork.py
index d2ebd7cfbe1e03..718728386fd3d0 100644
--- a/Lib/multiprocessing/popen_fork.py
+++ b/Lib/multiprocessing/popen_fork.py
@@ -14,8 +14,10 @@ class Popen(object):
     method = 'fork'
 
     def __init__(self, process_obj):
-        sys.stdout.flush()
-        sys.stderr.flush()
+        if not sys.stdout.closed:
+            sys.stdout.flush()
+        if not sys.stderr.closed:
+            sys.stderr.flush()
         self.returncode = None
         self._launch(process_obj)
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_multiprocessing_main_handling.py b/Lib/test/test_multiprocessing_main_handling.py
index 32593dab86da16..bed9f509096cf5 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_multiprocessing_main_handling.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_multiprocessing_main_handling.py
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
 
 import sys
 import time
-from multiprocessing import Pool, set_start_method
+from multiprocessing import Pool, Process, set_start_method
 
 # We use this __main__ defined function in the map call below in order to
 # check that multiprocessing in correctly running the unguarded
@@ -65,6 +65,13 @@ def f(x):
             raise RuntimeError("Timed out waiting for results")
     results.sort()
     print(start_method, "->", results)
+    sys.stdout.close()
+    sys.stderr.close()
+    process = Process(target=f, args=(1,))
+    process.start()
+    process.join(10)
+    if process.is_alive():
+        raise RuntimeError("Timed out waiting for single process")
 """
 
 test_source_main_skipped_in_children = """\