diff --git a/src/wp-includes/comment-template.php b/src/wp-includes/comment-template.php
index a048d3870c..b7c644db1e 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/comment-template.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/comment-template.php
@@ -552,11 +552,9 @@ function get_comment_class( $class = '', $comment_id = null, $post_id = null ) {
 function get_comment_date( $format = '', $comment_ID = 0 ) {
 	$comment = get_comment( $comment_ID );
 
-	if ( ! is_string( $format ) || '' === $format ) {
-		$format = get_option( 'date_format' );
-	}
+	$_format = ! empty( $format ) ? $format : get_option( 'date_format' );
 
-	$date = mysql2date( $format, $comment->comment_date );
+	$date = mysql2date( $_format, $comment->comment_date );
 
 	/**
 	 * Filters the returned comment date.
@@ -1046,11 +1044,9 @@ function get_comment_time( $format = '', $gmt = false, $translate = true ) {
 
 	$comment_date = $gmt ? $comment->comment_date_gmt : $comment->comment_date;
 
-	if ( ! is_string( $format ) || '' === $format ) {
-		$format = get_option( 'time_format' );
-	}
+	$_format = ! empty( $format ) ? $format : get_option( 'time_format' );
 
-	$date = mysql2date( $format, $comment_date, $translate );
+	$date = mysql2date( $_format, $comment_date, $translate );
 
 	/**
 	 * Filters the returned comment time.
diff --git a/src/wp-includes/general-template.php b/src/wp-includes/general-template.php
index 89748f1968..ec9eba3e93 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/general-template.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/general-template.php
@@ -2525,11 +2525,9 @@ function get_the_date( $format = '', $post = null ) {
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	if ( ! is_string( $format ) || '' === $format ) {
-		$format = get_option( 'date_format' );
-	}
+	$_format = ! empty( $format ) ? $format : get_option( 'date_format' );
 
-	$the_date = get_post_time( $format, false, $post, true );
+	$the_date = get_post_time( $_format, false, $post, true );
 
 	/**
 	 * Filters the date a post was published.
@@ -2595,10 +2593,10 @@ function get_the_modified_date( $format = '', $post = null ) {
 	if ( ! $post ) {
 		// For backward compatibility, failures go through the filter below.
 		$the_time = false;
-	} elseif ( empty( $format ) ) {
-		$the_time = get_post_modified_time( get_option( 'date_format' ), false, $post, true );
 	} else {
-		$the_time = get_post_modified_time( $format, false, $post, true );
+		$_format = ! empty( $format ) ? $format : get_option( 'date_format' );
+
+		$the_time = get_post_modified_time( $_format, false, $post, true );
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -2654,11 +2652,9 @@ function get_the_time( $format = '', $post = null ) {
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	if ( ! is_string( $format ) || '' === $format ) {
-		$format = get_option( 'time_format' );
-	}
+	$_format = ! empty( $format ) ? $format : get_option( 'time_format' );
 
-	$the_time = get_post_time( $format, false, $post, true );
+	$the_time = get_post_time( $_format, false, $post, true );
 
 	/**
 	 * Filters the time a post was written.
@@ -2843,10 +2839,10 @@ function get_the_modified_time( $format = '', $post = null ) {
 	if ( ! $post ) {
 		// For backward compatibility, failures go through the filter below.
 		$the_time = false;
-	} elseif ( empty( $format ) ) {
-		$the_time = get_post_modified_time( get_option( 'time_format' ), false, $post, true );
 	} else {
-		$the_time = get_post_modified_time( $format, false, $post, true );
+		$_format = ! empty( $format ) ? $format : get_option( 'time_format' );
+
+		$the_time = get_post_modified_time( $_format, false, $post, true );
 	}
 
 	/**