diff --git a/arch/mips/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S b/arch/mips/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
index 79f0317d84ac..2f4508f55fca 100644
--- a/arch/mips/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
+++ b/arch/mips/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
@@ -109,9 +109,6 @@ SECTIONS
   .con_initcall.init : { *(.con_initcall.init) }
   __con_initcall_end = .;
   SECURITY_INIT
-    /* .exit.text is discarded at runtime, not link time, to deal with
-     references from .rodata */
-  .exit.text : { *(.exit.text) }
   . = ALIGN(_PAGE_SIZE);
   __initramfs_start = .;
   .init.ramfs : { *(.init.ramfs) }
@@ -139,6 +136,7 @@ SECTIONS
 
   /* Sections to be discarded */
   /DISCARD/ : {
+	*(.exit.text)
         *(.exit.data)
         *(.exitcall.exit)