diff --git a/lib/promscrape/discovery/kubernetes/api_watcher.go b/lib/promscrape/discovery/kubernetes/api_watcher.go
index fc0a9870b7..3f7e013a53 100644
--- a/lib/promscrape/discovery/kubernetes/api_watcher.go
+++ b/lib/promscrape/discovery/kubernetes/api_watcher.go
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ func (gw *groupWatcher) startWatchersForRole(role string, aw *apiWatcher) {
 						gw.mu.Lock()
 						if uw.needUpdateScrapeWorks {
 							uw.needUpdateScrapeWorks = false
-							uw.updateScrapeWorksLocked(uw.aws)
+							uw.updateScrapeWorksLocked(uw.objectsByKey, uw.aws)
 						}
 						gw.mu.Unlock()
 						sleepTime = time.Since(startTime)
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) registerPendingAPIWatchersLocked() {
 	if len(uw.awsPending) == 0 {
 		return
 	}
-	uw.updateScrapeWorksLocked(uw.awsPending)
+	uw.updateScrapeWorksLocked(uw.objectsByKey, uw.awsPending)
 	for aw := range uw.awsPending {
 		uw.aws[aw] = struct{}{}
 	}
@@ -446,7 +446,10 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) registerPendingAPIWatchersLocked() {
 	metrics.GetOrCreateCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_promscrape_discovery_kubernetes_subscribers{role=%q,status="pending"}`, uw.role)).Add(-awsPendingLen)
 }
 
-func (uw *urlWatcher) updateScrapeWorksLocked(awsMap map[*apiWatcher]struct{}) {
+func (uw *urlWatcher) updateScrapeWorksLocked(objectsByKey map[string]object, awsMap map[*apiWatcher]struct{}) {
+	if len(objectsByKey) == 0 || len(awsMap) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
 	aws := make([]*apiWatcher, 0, len(awsMap))
 	for aw := range awsMap {
 		aws = append(aws, aw)
@@ -461,7 +464,7 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) updateScrapeWorksLocked(awsMap map[*apiWatcher]struct{}) {
 	var swosByKeyLock sync.Mutex
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	limiterCh := make(chan struct{}, cgroup.AvailableCPUs())
-	for key, o := range uw.objectsByKey {
+	for key, o := range objectsByKey {
 		labels := o.getTargetLabels(uw.gw)
 		wg.Add(1)
 		limiterCh <- struct{}{}
@@ -484,6 +487,14 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) updateScrapeWorksLocked(awsMap map[*apiWatcher]struct{}) {
 	}
 }
 
+func (uw *urlWatcher) removeScrapeWorksLocked(keys []string) {
+	for _, key := range keys {
+		for aw := range uw.aws {
+			aw.removeScrapeWorks(uw, key)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func (uw *urlWatcher) unsubscribeAPIWatcherLocked(aw *apiWatcher) {
 	if _, ok := uw.awsPending[aw]; ok {
 		delete(uw.awsPending, aw)
@@ -523,34 +534,46 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) reloadObjects() string {
 	}
 
 	uw.gw.mu.Lock()
-	var updated, removed, added int
-	for key := range uw.objectsByKey {
+	objectsAdded := make(map[string]object)
+	objectsUpdated := make(map[string]object)
+	var objectsRemoved []string
+	for key, oPrev := range uw.objectsByKey {
 		o, ok := objectsByKey[key]
 		if ok {
-			uw.updateObjectLocked(key, o)
-			updated++
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(oPrev, o) {
+				objectsUpdated[key] = o
+			}
+			// Overwrite oPrev with o even if these objects are equal.
+			// This should free up memory associated with oPrev.
+			uw.objectsByKey[key] = o
 		} else {
-			uw.removeObjectLocked(key)
-			removed++
+			objectsRemoved = append(objectsRemoved, key)
+			delete(uw.objectsByKey, key)
 		}
 	}
 	for key, o := range objectsByKey {
 		if _, ok := uw.objectsByKey[key]; !ok {
-			uw.updateObjectLocked(key, o)
-			added++
+			objectsAdded[key] = o
+			uw.objectsByKey[key] = o
 		}
 	}
+	uw.removeScrapeWorksLocked(objectsRemoved)
+	uw.updateScrapeWorksLocked(objectsUpdated, uw.aws)
+	uw.updateScrapeWorksLocked(objectsAdded, uw.aws)
 	uw.needUpdateScrapeWorks = false
+	if len(objectsRemoved) > 0 || len(objectsUpdated) > 0 || len(objectsAdded) > 0 {
+		uw.maybeUpdateEndpointsScrapeWorksLocked()
+	}
 	uw.gw.mu.Unlock()
 
-	uw.objectsUpdated.Add(updated)
-	uw.objectsRemoved.Add(removed)
-	uw.objectsAdded.Add(added)
-	uw.objectsCount.Add(added - removed)
+	uw.objectsUpdated.Add(len(objectsUpdated))
+	uw.objectsRemoved.Add(len(objectsRemoved))
+	uw.objectsAdded.Add(len(objectsAdded))
+	uw.objectsCount.Add(len(objectsAdded) - len(objectsRemoved))
 	uw.resourceVersion = metadata.ResourceVersion
 
 	logger.Infof("reloaded %d objects from %q in %.3fs; updated=%d, removed=%d, added=%d, resourceVersion=%q",
-		len(objectsByKey), requestURL, time.Since(startTime).Seconds(), updated, removed, added, uw.resourceVersion)
+		len(objectsByKey), requestURL, time.Since(startTime).Seconds(), len(objectsUpdated), len(objectsRemoved), len(objectsAdded), uw.resourceVersion)
 	return uw.resourceVersion
 }
 
@@ -631,12 +654,6 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) readObjectUpdateStream(r io.Reader) error {
 			}
 			key := o.key()
 			uw.gw.mu.Lock()
-			if _, ok := uw.objectsByKey[key]; !ok {
-				uw.objectsCount.Inc()
-				uw.objectsAdded.Inc()
-			} else {
-				uw.objectsUpdated.Inc()
-			}
 			uw.updateObjectLocked(key, o)
 			uw.gw.mu.Unlock()
 		case "DELETED":
@@ -646,10 +663,6 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) readObjectUpdateStream(r io.Reader) error {
 			}
 			key := o.key()
 			uw.gw.mu.Lock()
-			if _, ok := uw.objectsByKey[key]; ok {
-				uw.objectsCount.Dec()
-				uw.objectsRemoved.Inc()
-			}
 			uw.removeObjectLocked(key)
 			uw.gw.mu.Unlock()
 		case "BOOKMARK":
@@ -679,11 +692,19 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) readObjectUpdateStream(r io.Reader) error {
 
 func (uw *urlWatcher) updateObjectLocked(key string, o object) {
 	oPrev, ok := uw.objectsByKey[key]
-	if ok && reflect.DeepEqual(oPrev, o) {
-		// Nothing to do, since the new object is equal to the previous one.
-		return
-	}
+	// Overwrite oPrev with o even if these objects are equal.
+	// This should free up memory associated with oPrev.
 	uw.objectsByKey[key] = o
+	if !ok {
+		uw.objectsCount.Inc()
+		uw.objectsAdded.Inc()
+	} else {
+		if reflect.DeepEqual(oPrev, o) {
+			// Nothing to do, since the new object is equal to the previous one.
+			return
+		}
+		uw.objectsUpdated.Inc()
+	}
 	if len(uw.aws) > 0 {
 		labels := o.getTargetLabels(uw.gw)
 		for aw := range uw.aws {
@@ -694,6 +715,11 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) updateObjectLocked(key string, o object) {
 }
 
 func (uw *urlWatcher) removeObjectLocked(key string) {
+	if _, ok := uw.objectsByKey[key]; !ok {
+		return
+	}
+	uw.objectsCount.Dec()
+	uw.objectsRemoved.Inc()
 	delete(uw.objectsByKey, key)
 	for aw := range uw.aws {
 		aw.removeScrapeWorks(uw, key)
@@ -702,7 +728,7 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) removeObjectLocked(key string) {
 }
 
 func (uw *urlWatcher) maybeUpdateEndpointsScrapeWorksLocked() {
-	if uw.role != "service" && uw.role != "pod" {
+	if uw.role != "pod" && uw.role != "service" {
 		// Nothing to update
 		return
 	}