diff --git a/src/wp-includes/default-filters.php b/src/wp-includes/default-filters.php
index 75ca351c20..0cd9e5c6a6 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/default-filters.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/default-filters.php
@@ -131,7 +131,6 @@ add_filter( 'the_title', 'trim'          );
 
 add_filter( 'the_content', 'wptexturize'                       );
 add_filter( 'the_content', 'convert_smilies'                   );
-add_filter( 'the_content', 'convert_chars'                     );
 add_filter( 'the_content', 'wpautop'                           );
 add_filter( 'the_content', 'shortcode_unautop'                 );
 add_filter( 'the_content', 'prepend_attachment'                );
diff --git a/src/wp-includes/formatting.php b/src/wp-includes/formatting.php
index abbb090612..e0b45fd0a3 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/formatting.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/formatting.php
@@ -276,12 +276,13 @@ function wptexturize( $text, $reset = false ) {
 				// Searching for a digit is 10 times more expensive than for the x, so we avoid doing this one!
 				$curl = preg_replace( '/\b(\d(?(?<=0)[\d\.,]+|[\d\.,]*))x(\d[\d\.,]*)\b/', '$1&#215;$2', $curl );
 			}
+
+			// Replace each & with &#038; unless it already looks like an entity.
+			$curl = preg_replace( '/&(?!#(?:\d+|x[a-f0-9]+);|[a-z1-4]{1,8};)/i', '&#038;', $curl );
 		}
 	}
-	$text = implode( '', $textarr );
 
-	// Replace each & with &#038; unless it already looks like an entity.
-	return preg_replace( '/&(?!#(?:\d+|x[a-f0-9]+);|[a-z1-4]{1,8};)/i', '&#038;', $text );
+	return implode( '', $textarr );
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/tests/formatting/WPTexturize.php b/tests/phpunit/tests/formatting/WPTexturize.php
index f4b8ef6d67..475a4755fc 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/tests/formatting/WPTexturize.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/tests/formatting/WPTexturize.php
@@ -1267,12 +1267,12 @@ class Tests_Formatting_WPTexturize extends WP_UnitTestCase {
 				'[caption &#8211; is it wise to <a title="allow user content ] here? hmm"> maybe </a> ]',
 			),
 			array(
-				'[ photos by <a href="http://example.com/?a[]=1&a[]=2"> this guy </a> ]',
-				'[ photos by <a href="http://example.com/?a[]=1&#038;a[]=2"> this guy </a> ]',
+				'[ photos by <a href="http://example.com/?a[]=1&a[]=2"> this guy & that guy </a> ]',
+				'[ photos by <a href="http://example.com/?a[]=1&a[]=2"> this guy &#038; that guy </a> ]',
 			),
 			array(
-				'[photos by <a href="http://example.com/?a[]=1&a[]=2"> this guy </a>]',
-				'[photos by <a href="http://example.com/?a[]=1&#038;a[]=2"> this guy </a>]',
+				'[photos by <a href="http://example.com/?a[]=1&a[]=2"> this guy & that guy </a>]',
+				'[photos by <a href="http://example.com/?a[]=1&a[]=2"> this guy &#038; that guy </a>]',
 			),
 			array(
 				'[gallery ...]',