diff --git a/Kickstarter-iOS/Features/Messages/Storyboard/Messages.storyboard b/Kickstarter-iOS/Features/Messages/Storyboard/Messages.storyboard
index 158537aa38..110f3a4469 100644
--- a/Kickstarter-iOS/Features/Messages/Storyboard/Messages.storyboard
+++ b/Kickstarter-iOS/Features/Messages/Storyboard/Messages.storyboard
@@ -506,7 +506,7 @@
                         </connections>
                     </tableView>
                     <navigationItem key="navigationItem" id="pUe-X9-gXs">
-                        <barButtonItem key="rightBarButtonItem" id="mFf-pV-0Nc">
+                        <barButtonItem key="rightBarButtonItem" enabled="NO" id="mFf-pV-0Nc">
                             <connections>
                                 <action selector="replyButtonPressed" destination="KOm-AI-SFW" id="Cxt-yR-ytl"/>
                             </connections>
@@ -647,15 +647,15 @@
                     </tableView>
                     <navigationItem key="navigationItem" id="OMa-kG-hIb">
                         <nil key="title"/>
-                        <view key="titleView" contentMode="scaleToFill" misplaced="YES" id="3ac-Dg-U5u" userLabel="Title view">
+                        <view key="titleView" contentMode="scaleToFill" id="3ac-Dg-U5u" userLabel="Title view">
                             <rect key="frame" x="16" y="5.5" width="343" height="33"/>
                             <autoresizingMask key="autoresizingMask" flexibleMaxX="YES" flexibleMaxY="YES"/>
                             <subviews>
                                 <stackView opaque="NO" contentMode="scaleToFill" alignment="center" spacing="8" translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints="NO" id="DrS-Lz-KGw">
-                                    <rect key="frame" x="12" y="0.0" width="335" height="33"/>
+                                    <rect key="frame" x="12" y="0.0" width="319" height="33"/>
                                     <subviews>
                                         <textField opaque="NO" clipsSubviews="YES" contentMode="scaleToFill" contentHorizontalAlignment="left" contentVerticalAlignment="center" textAlignment="natural" minimumFontSize="17" clearButtonMode="always" translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints="NO" id="E9A-bD-5Mg" userLabel="Search">
-                                            <rect key="frame" x="0.0" y="5.5" width="307" height="22"/>
+                                            <rect key="frame" x="0.0" y="5.5" width="291" height="22"/>
                                             <fontDescription key="fontDescription" style="UICTFontTextStyleBody"/>
                                             <textInputTraits key="textInputTraits"/>
                                             <userDefinedRuntimeAttributes>
@@ -667,7 +667,7 @@
                                             </connections>
                                         </textField>
                                         <activityIndicatorView opaque="NO" contentMode="scaleToFill" horizontalHuggingPriority="750" verticalHuggingPriority="750" hidesWhenStopped="YES" animating="YES" style="gray" translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints="NO" id="Kwa-lS-ZfK" userLabel="Loading">
-                                            <rect key="frame" x="315" y="6.5" width="20" height="20"/>
+                                            <rect key="frame" x="299" y="6.5" width="20" height="20"/>
                                         </activityIndicatorView>
                                     </subviews>
                                 </stackView>
diff --git a/Library/ViewModels/MessagesViewModel.swift b/Library/ViewModels/MessagesViewModel.swift
index d102c4b069..a0e88415a0 100644
--- a/Library/ViewModels/MessagesViewModel.swift
+++ b/Library/ViewModels/MessagesViewModel.swift
@@ -168,11 +168,17 @@ public final class MessagesViewModel: MessagesViewModelType, MessagesViewModelIn
       }
     )
 
-    self.replyButtonIsEnabled = Signal.merge(
-      self.viewDidLoadProperty.signal.mapConst(false),
+    self.participantPreviouslyBlocked = self.project
+      .map { $0.creator.isBlocked }
+      .takeWhen(self.viewWillAppearProperty.signal)
+
+    self.replyButtonIsEnabled = Signal.combineLatest(
       self.messages.map { !$0.isEmpty },
-      participant.signal.map { $0.isBlocked == false }
+      self.participantPreviouslyBlocked
     )
+    .map { messages, isBlocked in
+      messages && !isBlocked
+    }
 
     self.presentMessageDialog = messageThreadEnvelope
       .map { ($0.messageThread, .messages) }
@@ -214,10 +220,6 @@ public final class MessagesViewModel: MessagesViewModelType, MessagesViewModelIn
 
     // TODO: Display proper error messaging from the backend
     self.didBlockUserError = blockUserEvent.errors().ignoreValues()
-
-    self.participantPreviouslyBlocked = self.project
-      .map { $0.creator.isBlocked }
-      .takeWhen(self.viewWillAppearProperty.signal)
   }
 
   private let backingInfoPressedProperty = MutableProperty(())
diff --git a/Library/ViewModels/MessagesViewModelTests.swift b/Library/ViewModels/MessagesViewModelTests.swift
index 394d70d598..0a333cd06f 100644
--- a/Library/ViewModels/MessagesViewModelTests.swift
+++ b/Library/ViewModels/MessagesViewModelTests.swift
@@ -218,8 +218,10 @@ internal final class MessagesViewModelTests: TestCase {
     }
   }
 
-  func testReplyFlow() {
-    let project = Project.template |> Project.lens.id .~ 42
+  func testReplyFlow_participantIsNotBlocked() {
+    let project = Project.template
+      |> Project.lens.id .~ 42
+      |> \.creator.isBlocked .~ false
     let backing = Backing.template
     let messageThread = .template
       |> MessageThread.lens.project .~ project
@@ -234,15 +236,17 @@ internal final class MessagesViewModelTests: TestCase {
       self.emptyStateIsVisible.assertValueCount(0)
 
       self.vm.inputs.viewDidLoad()
+      self.vm.inputs.viewWillAppear()
 
       self.messages.assertValueCount(0)
-      self.replyButtonIsEnabled.assertValues([false])
+      self.participantPreviouslyBlocked.assertValueCount(1)
+      self.replyButtonIsEnabled.assertValues([])
       self.emptyStateIsVisible.assertValues([false])
 
       self.scheduler.advance()
 
       self.messages.assertValueCount(1)
-      self.replyButtonIsEnabled.assertValues([false, true, true])
+      self.replyButtonIsEnabled.assertValues([true])
       self.emptyStateIsVisible.assertValues([false], "Empty state does not emit again.")
 
       self.vm.inputs.replyButtonPressed()
@@ -257,6 +261,39 @@ internal final class MessagesViewModelTests: TestCase {
     }
   }
 
+  func testReplyFlow_participantIsBlocked() {
+    let project = Project.template
+      |> Project.lens.id .~ 42
+      |> \.creator.isBlocked .~ true
+    let backing = Backing.template
+    let messageThread = .template
+      |> MessageThread.lens.project .~ project
+      |> MessageThread.lens.participant .~ .template
+
+    let apiService = MockService(fetchMessageThreadResult: Result.success(messageThread))
+
+    withEnvironment(apiService: apiService, currentUser: .template) {
+      self.vm.inputs.configureWith(data: .right((project: project, backing: backing)))
+
+      self.replyButtonIsEnabled.assertValueCount(0)
+      self.emptyStateIsVisible.assertValueCount(0)
+
+      self.vm.inputs.viewDidLoad()
+      self.vm.inputs.viewWillAppear()
+
+      self.messages.assertValueCount(0)
+      self.participantPreviouslyBlocked.assertValueCount(1)
+      self.replyButtonIsEnabled.assertValues([])
+      self.emptyStateIsVisible.assertValues([false])
+
+      self.scheduler.advance()
+
+      self.messages.assertValueCount(1)
+      self.replyButtonIsEnabled.assertValues([false])
+      self.emptyStateIsVisible.assertValues([false], "Empty state does not emit again.")
+    }
+  }
+
   func testParticipantPreviouslyBlockedFlow_True() {
     let creator = User.template
       |> \.isBlocked .~ true