diff --git a/django/template/defaultfilters.py b/django/template/defaultfilters.py
index c857a0e0a3..d4bed6898d 100644
--- a/django/template/defaultfilters.py
+++ b/django/template/defaultfilters.py
@@ -518,11 +518,11 @@ def first(value):
 @register.filter(is_safe=True, needs_autoescape=True)
 def join(value, arg, autoescape=True):
     """Join a list with a string, like Python's ``str.join(list)``."""
-    if autoescape:
-        value = [conditional_escape(v) for v in value]
     try:
+        if autoescape:
+            value = [conditional_escape(v) for v in value]
         data = conditional_escape(arg).join(value)
-    except AttributeError:  # fail silently but nicely
+    except TypeError:  # Fail silently if arg isn't iterable.
         return value
     return mark_safe(data)
 
diff --git a/tests/template_tests/filter_tests/test_join.py b/tests/template_tests/filter_tests/test_join.py
index 2d2a9cf78e..43ac0da7c2 100644
--- a/tests/template_tests/filter_tests/test_join.py
+++ b/tests/template_tests/filter_tests/test_join.py
@@ -65,3 +65,11 @@ class FunctionTests(SimpleTestCase):
             join(['<a>', '<img>', '</a>'], '<br>', autoescape=False),
             '<a>&lt;br&gt;<img>&lt;br&gt;</a>',
         )
+
+    def test_noniterable_arg(self):
+        obj = object()
+        self.assertEqual(join(obj, '<br>'), obj)
+
+    def test_noniterable_arg_autoescape_off(self):
+        obj = object()
+        self.assertEqual(join(obj, '<br>', autoescape=False), obj)