diff --git a/app/models/environment_status.rb b/app/models/environment_status.rb
index 7078496ff52..4a128dde5cd 100644
--- a/app/models/environment_status.rb
+++ b/app/models/environment_status.rb
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ class EnvironmentStatus
   delegate :id, to: :environment
   delegate :name, to: :environment
   delegate :project, to: :environment
+  delegate :status, to: :deployment, allow_nil: true
   delegate :deployed_at, to: :deployment, allow_nil: true
 
   def self.for_merge_request(mr, user)
@@ -43,22 +44,6 @@ class EnvironmentStatus
       .merge_request_diff_files.where(deleted_file: false)
   end
 
-  ##
-  # Since frontend has not supported all statuses yet, BE has to
-  # proxy some status to a supported status.
-  def status
-    return unless deployment
-
-    case deployment.status
-    when 'created'
-      'running'
-    when 'canceled'
-      'failed'
-    else
-      deployment.status
-    end
-  end
-
   private
 
   PAGE_EXTENSIONS = /\A\.(s?html?|php|asp|cgi|pl)\z/i.freeze
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/remove-deployment-status-hack-from-backend.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/remove-deployment-status-hack-from-backend.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2348bfab7d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/remove-deployment-status-hack-from-backend.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+title: Return real deployment status to frontend
+merge_request: 23270
+author:
+type: fixed
diff --git a/spec/features/merge_request/user_sees_deployment_widget_spec.rb b/spec/features/merge_request/user_sees_deployment_widget_spec.rb
index 74290c0fff9..3e40179ad9a 100644
--- a/spec/features/merge_request/user_sees_deployment_widget_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/merge_request/user_sees_deployment_widget_spec.rb
@@ -65,7 +65,20 @@ describe 'Merge request > User sees deployment widget', :js do
         visit project_merge_request_path(project, merge_request)
         wait_for_requests
 
-        expect(page).to have_content("Deploying to #{environment.name}")
+        expect(page).to have_content("Will deploy to #{environment.name}")
+        expect(page).not_to have_css('.js-deploy-time')
+      end
+    end
+
+    context 'when deployment was cancelled' do
+      let(:build) { create(:ci_build, :canceled, pipeline: pipeline) }
+      let!(:deployment) { create(:deployment, :canceled, environment: environment, sha: sha, ref: ref, deployable: build) }
+
+      it 'displays that the environment name' do
+        visit project_merge_request_path(project, merge_request)
+        wait_for_requests
+
+        expect(page).to have_content("Failed to deploy to #{environment.name}")
         expect(page).not_to have_css('.js-deploy-time')
       end
     end