diff --git a/ipykernel/kernelbase.py b/ipykernel/kernelbase.py
index 01539fd22..cb440199e 100644
--- a/ipykernel/kernelbase.py
+++ b/ipykernel/kernelbase.py
@@ -331,10 +331,7 @@ async def process_control(self, msg):
 
         sys.stdout.flush()
         sys.stderr.flush()
-        self._publish_status("idle", "control")
-        # flush to ensure reply is sent
-        if self.control_stream:
-            self.control_stream.flush(zmq.POLLOUT)
+        self._publish_status_and_flush("idle", "control", self.control_stream)
 
     def should_handle(self, stream, msg, idents):
         """Check whether a shell-channel message should be handled
@@ -370,11 +367,7 @@ async def dispatch_shell(self, msg):
         # Only abort execute requests
         if self._aborting and msg_type == "execute_request":
             self._send_abort_reply(self.shell_stream, msg, idents)
-            self._publish_status("idle", "shell")
-            # flush to ensure reply is sent before
-            # handling the next request
-            if self.shell_stream:
-                self.shell_stream.flush(zmq.POLLOUT)
+            self._publish_status_and_flush("idle", "shell", self.shell_stream)
             return
 
         # Print some info about this message and leave a '--->' marker, so it's
@@ -384,6 +377,7 @@ async def dispatch_shell(self, msg):
         self.log.debug("   Content: %s\n   --->\n   ", msg["content"])
 
         if not self.should_handle(self.shell_stream, msg, idents):
+            self._publish_status_and_flush("idle", "shell", self.shell_stream)
             return
 
         handler = self.shell_handlers.get(msg_type, None)
@@ -412,11 +406,7 @@ async def dispatch_shell(self, msg):
 
         sys.stdout.flush()
         sys.stderr.flush()
-        self._publish_status("idle", "shell")
-        # flush to ensure reply is sent before
-        # handling the next request
-        if self.shell_stream:
-            self.shell_stream.flush(zmq.POLLOUT)
+        self._publish_status_and_flush("idle", "shell", self.shell_stream)
 
     def pre_handler_hook(self):
         """Hook to execute before calling message handler"""
@@ -603,6 +593,12 @@ def _publish_status(self, status, channel, parent=None):
             ident=self._topic("status"),
         )
 
+    def _publish_status_and_flush(self, status, channel, stream, parent=None):
+        """send status on IOPub and flush specified stream to ensure reply is sent before handling the next reply"""
+        self._publish_status(status, channel, parent)
+        if stream:
+            stream.flush(zmq.POLLOUT)
+
     def _publish_debug_event(self, event):
         if not self.session:
             return