diff --git a/src/wp-includes/class-wp-user-query.php b/src/wp-includes/class-wp-user-query.php
index 02cae108c8..1fdbd03c37 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/class-wp-user-query.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/class-wp-user-query.php
@@ -255,13 +255,6 @@ class WP_User_Query {
 			$blog_id = absint( $qv['blog_id'] );
 		}
 
-		if ( isset( $qv['who'] ) && 'authors' == $qv['who'] && $blog_id ) {
-			$qv['meta_key'] = $wpdb->get_blog_prefix( $blog_id ) . 'user_level';
-			$qv['meta_value'] = 0;
-			$qv['meta_compare'] = '!=';
-			$qv['blog_id'] = $blog_id = 0; // Prevent extra meta query
-		}
-
 		if ( $qv['has_published_posts'] && $blog_id ) {
 			if ( true === $qv['has_published_posts'] ) {
 				$post_types = get_post_types( array( 'public' => true ) );
@@ -281,6 +274,29 @@ class WP_User_Query {
 		$this->meta_query = new WP_Meta_Query();
 		$this->meta_query->parse_query_vars( $qv );
 
+		if ( isset( $qv['who'] ) && 'authors' == $qv['who'] && $blog_id ) {
+			$who_query = array(
+				'key' => $wpdb->get_blog_prefix( $blog_id ) . 'user_level',
+				'value' => 0,
+				'compare' => '!=',
+			);
+
+			// Prevent extra meta query.
+			$qv['blog_id'] = $blog_id = 0;
+
+			if ( empty( $this->meta_query->queries ) ) {
+				$this->meta_query->queries = array( $who_query );
+			} else {
+				// Append the cap query to the original queries and reparse the query.
+				$this->meta_query->queries = array(
+					'relation' => 'AND',
+					array( $this->meta_query->queries, $who_query ),
+				);
+			}
+
+			$this->meta_query->parse_query_vars( $this->meta_query->queries );
+		}
+
 		$roles = array();
 		if ( isset( $qv['role'] ) ) {
 			if ( is_array( $qv['role'] ) ) {
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/tests/user/query.php b/tests/phpunit/tests/user/query.php
index 1fe2652f3c..e8b8a9ccf5 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/tests/user/query.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/tests/user/query.php
@@ -702,6 +702,37 @@ class Tests_User_Query extends WP_UnitTestCase {
 		$this->assertNotContains( self::$author_ids[2], $found );
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * @ticket 36724
+	 */
+	public function test_who_authors_should_work_alongside_meta_params() {
+		if ( ! is_multisite() ) {
+			$this->markTestSkipped( __METHOD__ . ' requires multisite.' );
+		}
+
+		$b = self::factory()->blog->create();
+
+		add_user_to_blog( $b, self::$author_ids[0], 'subscriber' );
+		add_user_to_blog( $b, self::$author_ids[1], 'author' );
+		add_user_to_blog( $b, self::$author_ids[2], 'editor' );
+
+		add_user_meta( self::$author_ids[1], 'foo', 'bar' );
+		add_user_meta( self::$author_ids[2], 'foo', 'baz' );
+
+		$q = new WP_User_Query( array(
+			'who' => 'authors',
+			'blog_id' => $b,
+			'meta_key' => 'foo',
+			'meta_value' => 'bar',
+		) );
+
+		$found = wp_list_pluck( $q->get_results(), 'ID' );
+
+		$this->assertNotContains( self::$author_ids[0], $found );
+		$this->assertContains( self::$author_ids[1], $found );
+		$this->assertNotContains( self::$author_ids[2], $found );
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * @ticket 32250
 	 */