diff --git a/Lib/test/fork_wait.py b/Lib/test/fork_wait.py
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@

import os, sys, time, unittest
import test.support as support
-_thread = support.import_module('_thread')

LONGSLEEP = 2
SHORTSLEEP = 0.5
@@ -20,8 +21,19 @@
class ForkWait(unittest.TestCase):

    def setUp(self):
        self.alive = {}
        self.stop = 0

    def f(self, id):
        while not self.stop:
@@ -43,10 +55,11 @@ def wait_impl(self, cpid):
        self.assertEqual(spid, cpid)
        self.assertEqual(status, 0, "cause = %d, exit = %d" % (status&0xff, status>>8))

-    @support.reap_threads
    def test_wait(self):
        for i in range(NUM_THREADS):
-            _thread.start_new(self.f, (i,))

        # busy-loop to wait for threads
        deadline = time.monotonic() + 10.0
@@ -75,8 +88,4 @@ def test_wait(self):
            os._exit(n)
        else:
            # Parent
-            try:
-                self.wait_impl(cpid)
-            finally:
-                # Tell threads to die
-                self.stop = 1