diff --git a/Lib/test/test_threading.py b/Lib/test/test_threading.py
index 7170f60..98f01ee 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_threading.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_threading.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 import test.support
 from test.support import verbose, strip_python_stderr, import_module, cpython_only
-from test.script_helper import assert_python_ok
+from test.script_helper import assert_python_ok, assert_python_failure
 
 import random
 import re
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 import unittest
 import weakref
 import os
-from test.script_helper import assert_python_ok, assert_python_failure
 import subprocess
 
 from test import lock_tests
@@ -962,6 +961,88 @@
         self.assertEqual(p.returncode, 0, "Unexpected error: " + stderr.decode())
         self.assertEqual(data, expected_output)
 
+    def test_print_exception(self):
+        script = r"""if True:
+            import threading
+            import time
+
+            running = False
+            def run():
+                global running
+                running = True
+                while running:
+                    time.sleep(0.01)
+                1/0
+            t = threading.Thread(target=run)
+            t.start()
+            while not running:
+                time.sleep(0.01)
+            running = False
+            t.join()
+            """
+        rc, out, err = assert_python_ok("-c", script)
+        self.assertEqual(out, b'')
+        err = err.decode()
+        self.assertIn("Exception in thread", err)
+        self.assertIn("Traceback (most recent call last):", err)
+        self.assertIn("ZeroDivisionError", err)
+        self.assertNotIn("Unhandled exception", err)
+
+    def test_print_exception_stderr_is_none_1(self):
+        script = r"""if True:
+            import sys
+            import threading
+            import time
+
+            running = False
+            def run():
+                global running
+                running = True
+                while running:
+                    time.sleep(0.01)
+                1/0
+            t = threading.Thread(target=run)
+            t.start()
+            while not running:
+                time.sleep(0.01)
+            sys.stderr = None
+            running = False
+            t.join()
+            """
+        rc, out, err = assert_python_ok("-c", script)
+        self.assertEqual(out, b'')
+        err = err.decode()
+        self.assertIn("Exception in thread", err)
+        self.assertIn("Traceback (most recent call last):", err)
+        self.assertIn("ZeroDivisionError", err)
+        self.assertNotIn("Unhandled exception", err)
+
+    def test_print_exception_stderr_is_none_2(self):
+        script = r"""if True:
+            import sys
+            import threading
+            import time
+
+            running = False
+            def run():
+                global running
+                running = True
+                while running:
+                    time.sleep(0.01)
+                1/0
+            sys.stderr = None
+            t = threading.Thread(target=run)
+            t.start()
+            while not running:
+                time.sleep(0.01)
+            running = False
+            t.join()
+            """
+        rc, out, err = assert_python_ok("-c", script)
+        self.assertEqual(out, b'')
+        self.assertNotIn("Unhandled exception", err.decode())
+
+
 class TimerTests(BaseTestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
diff --git a/Lib/threading.py b/Lib/threading.py
index dfe9d41..7a5a440 100644
--- a/Lib/threading.py
+++ b/Lib/threading.py
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@
 
     def _is_owned(self):
         # Return True if lock is owned by current_thread.
-        # This method is called only if __lock doesn't have _is_owned().
+        # This method is called only if _lock doesn't have _is_owned().
         if self._lock.acquire(0):
             self._lock.release()
             return False
@@ -749,12 +749,12 @@
 
     """
 
-    __initialized = False
+    _initialized = False
     # Need to store a reference to sys.exc_info for printing
     # out exceptions when a thread tries to use a global var. during interp.
     # shutdown and thus raises an exception about trying to perform some
     # operation on/with a NoneType
-    __exc_info = _sys.exc_info
+    _exc_info = _sys.exc_info
     # Keep sys.exc_clear too to clear the exception just before
     # allowing .join() to return.
     #XXX __exc_clear = _sys.exc_clear
@@ -926,10 +926,10 @@
                 # shutdown) use self._stderr.  Otherwise still use sys (as in
                 # _sys) in case sys.stderr was redefined since the creation of
                 # self.
-                if _sys:
-                    _sys.stderr.write("Exception in thread %s:\n%s\n" %
-                                      (self.name, _format_exc()))
-                else:
+                if _sys and _sys.stderr is not None:
+                    print("Exception in thread %s:\n%s" %
+                          (self.name, _format_exc()), file=self._stderr)
+                elif self._stderr is not None:
                     # Do the best job possible w/o a huge amt. of code to
                     # approximate a traceback (code ideas from
                     # Lib/traceback.py)
@@ -957,7 +957,7 @@
                 # test_threading.test_no_refcycle_through_target when
                 # the exception keeps the target alive past when we
                 # assert that it's dead.
-                #XXX self.__exc_clear()
+                #XXX self._exc_clear()
                 pass
         finally:
             with _active_limbo_lock:
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index 3560212..956721a 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -32,6 +32,9 @@
 Library
 -------
 
+- Issue #22423: Unhandled exception in thread no longer causes unhandled
+  AttributeError when sys.stderr is None.
+
 - Issue #21091: Fix API bug: email.message.EmailMessage.is_attachment is now
   a method.  Since EmailMessage is provisional, we can change the API in a
   maintenance release, but we use a trick to remain backward compatible with