diff --git a/metrics/exporter.go b/metrics/exporter.go
index b98a18de1f..3fc4966fdd 100644
--- a/metrics/exporter.go
+++ b/metrics/exporter.go
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
-	"sync"
 
 	"go.opencensus.io/resource"
 	"go.opencensus.io/stats/view"
@@ -32,9 +31,14 @@ import (
 var (
 	curMetricsExporter view.Exporter
 	curMetricsConfig   *metricsConfig
-	metricsMux         sync.RWMutex
+	mWorker            *metricsWorker
 )
 
+func init() {
+	mWorker = newMetricsWorker()
+	go mWorker.start()
+}
+
 // SecretFetcher is a function (extracted from SecretNamespaceLister) for fetching
 // a specific Secret. This avoids requiring global or namespace list in controllers.
 type SecretFetcher func(string) (*corev1.Secret, error)
@@ -154,28 +158,14 @@ func UpdateExporter(ctx context.Context, ops ExporterOptions, logger *zap.Sugare
 
 	// Updating the metrics config and the metrics exporters needs to be atomic to
 	// avoid using an outdated metrics config with new exporters.
-	metricsMux.Lock()
-	defer metricsMux.Unlock()
-
-	if isNewExporterRequired(newConfig) {
-		logger.Info("Flushing the existing exporter before setting up the new exporter.")
-		flushGivenExporter(curMetricsExporter)
-		e, f, err := newMetricsExporter(newConfig, logger)
-		if err != nil {
-			logger.Errorw("Failed to update a new metrics exporter based on metric config", zap.Error(err), "config", newConfig)
-			return err
-		}
-		existingConfig := curMetricsConfig
-		curMetricsExporter = e
-		if err := setFactory(f); err != nil {
-			logger.Errorw("Failed to update metrics factory when loading metric config", zap.Error(err), "config", newConfig)
-			return err
-		}
-		logger.Infof("Successfully updated the metrics exporter; old config: %v; new config %v", existingConfig, newConfig)
+	updateCmd := &updateMetricsConfigWithExporter{
+		ctx:       ctx,
+		newConfig: newConfig,
+		done:      make(chan error),
 	}
-
-	setCurMetricsConfigUnlocked(newConfig)
-	return nil
+	mWorker.c <- updateCmd
+	err = <-updateCmd.done
+	return err
 }
 
 // isNewExporterRequired compares the non-nil newConfig against curMetricsConfig. When backend changes,
@@ -228,27 +218,35 @@ func newMetricsExporter(config *metricsConfig, logger *zap.SugaredLogger) (view.
 }
 
 func getCurMetricsExporter() view.Exporter {
-	metricsMux.RLock()
-	defer metricsMux.RUnlock()
-	return curMetricsExporter
+	readCmd := &readExporter{done: make(chan *view.Exporter)}
+	mWorker.c <- readCmd
+	e := <-readCmd.done
+	return *e
 }
 
 func setCurMetricsExporter(e view.Exporter) {
-	metricsMux.Lock()
-	defer metricsMux.Unlock()
-	curMetricsExporter = e
+	setCmd := &setExporter{
+		newExporter: &e,
+		done:        make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+	mWorker.c <- setCmd
+	<-setCmd.done
 }
 
 func getCurMetricsConfig() *metricsConfig {
-	metricsMux.RLock()
-	defer metricsMux.RUnlock()
-	return curMetricsConfig
+	readCmd := &readMetricsConfig{done: make(chan *metricsConfig)}
+	mWorker.c <- readCmd
+	cfg := <-readCmd.done
+	return cfg
 }
 
 func setCurMetricsConfig(c *metricsConfig) {
-	metricsMux.Lock()
-	defer metricsMux.Unlock()
-	setCurMetricsConfigUnlocked(c)
+	setCmd := &setMetricsConfig{
+		newConfig: c,
+		done:      make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+	mWorker.c <- setCmd
+	<-setCmd.done
 }
 
 func setCurMetricsConfigUnlocked(c *metricsConfig) {
diff --git a/metrics/metrics_worker.go b/metrics/metrics_worker.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0b7753acb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/metrics/metrics_worker.go
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2021 The Knative Authors
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package metrics
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"go.opencensus.io/stats/view"
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
+	"knative.dev/pkg/logging"
+)
+
+type metricsWorker struct {
+	c chan command
+}
+
+func newMetricsWorker() *metricsWorker {
+	return &metricsWorker{c: make(chan command)}
+}
+
+type command interface {
+	handleCommand(w *metricsWorker)
+}
+
+type readExporter struct {
+	done chan *view.Exporter
+}
+
+type setExporter struct {
+	newExporter *view.Exporter
+	done        chan struct{}
+}
+
+type readMetricsConfig struct {
+	done chan *metricsConfig
+}
+
+type updateMetricsConfigWithExporter struct {
+	ctx       context.Context
+	newConfig *metricsConfig
+	done      chan error
+}
+
+type setMetricsConfig struct {
+	newConfig *metricsConfig
+	done      chan struct{}
+}
+
+func (cmd *readMetricsConfig) handleCommand(w *metricsWorker) {
+	cmd.done <- curMetricsConfig
+}
+
+func (cmd *setMetricsConfig) handleCommand(w *metricsWorker) {
+	setCurMetricsConfigUnlocked(cmd.newConfig)
+	cmd.done <- struct{}{}
+}
+
+func (cmd *updateMetricsConfigWithExporter) handleCommand(w *metricsWorker) {
+	ctx := cmd.ctx
+	logger := logging.FromContext(ctx)
+	if isNewExporterRequired(cmd.newConfig) {
+		logger.Info("Flushing the existing exporter before setting up the new exporter.")
+		flushGivenExporter(curMetricsExporter)
+		e, f, err := newMetricsExporter(cmd.newConfig, logger)
+		if err != nil {
+			logger.Errorw("Failed to update a new metrics exporter based on metric config", zap.Error(err), "config", cmd.newConfig)
+			cmd.done <- err
+			return
+		}
+		existingConfig := curMetricsConfig
+		curMetricsExporter = e
+		if err := setFactory(f); err != nil {
+			logger.Errorw("Failed to update metrics factory when loading metric config", zap.Error(err), "config", cmd.newConfig)
+			cmd.done <- err
+			return
+		}
+		logger.Infof("Successfully updated the metrics exporter; old config: %v; new config %v", existingConfig, cmd.newConfig)
+	}
+	setCurMetricsConfigUnlocked(cmd.newConfig)
+	cmd.done <- nil
+}
+
+func (w *metricsWorker) start() {
+	for {
+		cmd := <-w.c
+		cmd.handleCommand(w)
+	}
+}
+
+func (cmd *setExporter) handleCommand(w *metricsWorker) {
+	curMetricsExporter = *cmd.newExporter
+	cmd.done <- struct{}{}
+}
+
+func (cmd *readExporter) handleCommand(w *metricsWorker) {
+	cmd.done <- &curMetricsExporter
+}