diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c0aa002a1..eef3c53b8 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/).
 - Follow/Block/Mute imports now spin off into *n* tasks to avoid the oban timeout
 - Transient activities recieved from remote servers are no longer persisted in the database
 - Overhauled static-fe view for logged-out users
-- `published` is now a mandatory field in Note objects
 
 ## Removed
 - FollowBotPolicy
diff --git a/lib/mix/tasks/pleroma/search/meilisearch.ex b/lib/mix/tasks/pleroma/search/meilisearch.ex
index caeeb58d5..27a31afcf 100644
--- a/lib/mix/tasks/pleroma/search/meilisearch.ex
+++ b/lib/mix/tasks/pleroma/search/meilisearch.ex
@@ -60,8 +60,7 @@ defmodule Mix.Tasks.Pleroma.Search.Meilisearch do
             where:
               fragment("data->>'type' = 'Note'") and
                 (fragment("data->'to' \\? ?", ^Pleroma.Constants.as_public()) or
-                   fragment("data->'cc' \\? ?", ^Pleroma.Constants.as_public())) and
-                fragment("data->>'published' IS NOT NULL"),
+                   fragment("data->'cc' \\? ?", ^Pleroma.Constants.as_public())),
             order_by: [desc: fragment("data->'published'")]
           )
 
diff --git a/lib/pleroma/web/activity_pub/object_validators/article_note_page_validator.ex b/lib/pleroma/web/activity_pub/object_validators/article_note_page_validator.ex
index 0967f557a..0d45421e2 100644
--- a/lib/pleroma/web/activity_pub/object_validators/article_note_page_validator.ex
+++ b/lib/pleroma/web/activity_pub/object_validators/article_note_page_validator.ex
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ defmodule Pleroma.Web.ActivityPub.ObjectValidators.ArticleNotePageValidator do
   defp validate_data(data_cng) do
     data_cng
     |> validate_inclusion(:type, ["Article", "Note", "Page"])
-    |> validate_required([:id, :actor, :attributedTo, :type, :context, :published])
+    |> validate_required([:id, :actor, :attributedTo, :type, :context])
     |> CommonValidations.validate_any_presence([:cc, :to])
     |> CommonValidations.validate_fields_match([:actor, :attributedTo])
     |> CommonValidations.validate_actor_presence()
diff --git a/test/fixtures/mastodon/note-without-published.json b/test/fixtures/mastodon/note-without-published.json
deleted file mode 100644
index c721ecef5..000000000
--- a/test/fixtures/mastodon/note-without-published.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,44 +0,0 @@
-{
-   "@context" : [
-      "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
-      "https://w3id.org/security/v1",
-      {
-         "Emoji" : "toot:Emoji",
-         "Hashtag" : "as:Hashtag",
-         "atomUri" : "ostatus:atomUri",
-         "conversation" : "ostatus:conversation",
-         "inReplyToAtomUri" : "ostatus:inReplyToAtomUri",
-         "manuallyApprovesFollowers" : "as:manuallyApprovesFollowers",
-         "movedTo" : "as:movedTo",
-         "ostatus" : "http://ostatus.org#",
-         "sensitive" : "as:sensitive",
-         "toot" : "http://joinmastodon.org/ns#"
-      }
-   ],
-   "atomUri" : "http://mastodon.example.org/users/admin/statuses/99541947525187367",
-   "attachment" : [
-      {
-         "mediaType" : "image/jpeg",
-         "name" : null,
-         "type" : "Document",
-         "url" : "http://mastodon.example.org/system/media_attachments/files/000/000/002/original/334ce029e7bfb920.jpg"
-      }
-   ],
-   "attributedTo" : "http://mastodon.example.org/users/admin",
-   "cc" : [
-      "http://mastodon.example.org/users/admin/followers"
-   ],
-   "content" : "<p>yeah.</p>",
-   "conversation" : "tag:mastodon.example.org,2018-02-17:objectId=59:objectType=Conversation",
-   "id" : "http://mastodon.example.org/users/admin/statuses/99541947525187367",
-   "inReplyTo" : null,
-   "inReplyToAtomUri" : null,
-   "sensitive" : false,
-   "summary" : null,
-   "tag" : [],
-   "to" : [
-      "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public"
-   ],
-   "type" : "Note",
-   "url" : "http://mastodon.example.org/@admin/99541947525187367"
-}
diff --git a/test/pleroma/web/activity_pub/object_validators/article_note_page_validator_test.exs b/test/pleroma/web/activity_pub/object_validators/article_note_page_validator_test.exs
index 0ddc3c76d..5b95ebc51 100644
--- a/test/pleroma/web/activity_pub/object_validators/article_note_page_validator_test.exs
+++ b/test/pleroma/web/activity_pub/object_validators/article_note_page_validator_test.exs
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ defmodule Pleroma.Web.ActivityPub.ObjectValidators.ArticleNotePageValidatorTest
         "to" => [user.follower_address],
         "cc" => [],
         "content" => "Hellow this is content.",
-        "published" => "2021-01-01T00:00:00Z",
         "context" => "xxx",
         "summary" => "a post"
       }
@@ -66,12 +65,6 @@ defmodule Pleroma.Web.ActivityPub.ObjectValidators.ArticleNotePageValidatorTest
         ArticleNotePageValidator.cast_and_validate(note)
     end
 
-    test "a note without a published field should not validate", _ do
-      insert(:user, %{ap_id: "http://mastodon.example.org/users/admin"})
-      note = Jason.decode!(File.read!("test/fixtures/mastodon/note-without-published.json"))
-      %{valid?: false} = ArticleNotePageValidator.cast_and_validate(note)
-    end
-
     test "a note with an attachment should work", _ do
       insert(:user, %{ap_id: "https://owncast.localhost.localdomain/federation/user/streamer"})