diff --git a/src/agents/realtime/openai_realtime.py b/src/agents/realtime/openai_realtime.py
index 02cb55a1a6..2322604141 100644
--- a/src/agents/realtime/openai_realtime.py
+++ b/src/agents/realtime/openai_realtime.py
@@ -2011,7 +2011,7 @@ def conversation_item_to_realtime_message_item(
                 "type": item.type,
                 "role": item.role,
                 "content": content,
-                "status": "in_progress",
+                "status": item.status,
             },
         )
 
diff --git a/src/agents/realtime/session.py b/src/agents/realtime/session.py
index ef5f18cdfd..2bdd000814 100644
--- a/src/agents/realtime/session.py
+++ b/src/agents/realtime/session.py
@@ -523,6 +523,14 @@ async def on_event(self, event: RealtimeModelEvent) -> None:
                 and existing_item.type == "message"
                 and incoming_item.type == "message"
             ):
+                if (
+                    isinstance(existing_item, AssistantMessageItem)
+                    and isinstance(incoming_item, AssistantMessageItem)
+                    and incoming_item.status is None
+                ):
+                    incoming_item = incoming_item.model_copy(
+                        update={"status": existing_item.status}
+                    )
                 try:
                     # Merge transcripts for matching content indices
                     existing_content = existing_item.content
diff --git a/tests/realtime/test_item_parsing.py b/tests/realtime/test_item_parsing.py
index e8484a58f6..3cd90a1789 100644
--- a/tests/realtime/test_item_parsing.py
+++ b/tests/realtime/test_item_parsing.py
@@ -50,11 +50,12 @@ def test_user_message_conversion() -> None:
     assert isinstance(converted, UserMessageItem)
 
 
-def test_assistant_message_conversion() -> None:
+def test_assistant_message_conversion_preserves_status() -> None:
     item = RealtimeConversationItemAssistantMessage(
         id="123",
         type="message",
         role="assistant",
+        status="completed",
         content=[AssistantMessageContent(type="output_text", text=None)],
     )
 
@@ -63,6 +64,22 @@ def test_assistant_message_conversion() -> None:
     )
 
     assert isinstance(converted, AssistantMessageItem)
+    assert converted.status == "completed"
+
+
+def test_assistant_message_conversion_preserves_missing_status() -> None:
+    item = RealtimeConversationItemAssistantMessage(
+        id="123",
+        type="message",
+        role="assistant",
+        status=None,
+        content=[AssistantMessageContent(type="output_text", text=None)],
+    )
+
+    converted = _ConversionHelper.conversation_item_to_realtime_message_item(item, None)
+
+    assert isinstance(converted, AssistantMessageItem)
+    assert converted.status is None
 
 
 def test_system_message_conversion() -> None:
diff --git a/tests/realtime/test_session.py b/tests/realtime/test_session.py
index 178d37fa8e..00fb2da6cb 100644
--- a/tests/realtime/test_session.py
+++ b/tests/realtime/test_session.py
@@ -6181,6 +6181,36 @@ async def test_update_agent_validation_failure_keeps_current_agent(self, mock_mo
 class TestTranscriptPreservation:
     """Tests ensuring assistant transcripts are preserved across updates."""
 
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("incoming_status", ["completed", "incomplete", None])
+    async def test_assistant_status_preserved_or_updated_on_item_update(
+        self, mock_model, mock_agent, incoming_status
+    ):
+        session = RealtimeSession(mock_model, mock_agent, None)
+        session._history = [
+            AssistantMessageItem(
+                item_id="assist_status",
+                status="completed",
+                role="assistant",
+                content=[AssistantAudio(audio=None, transcript="Hello there")],
+            )
+        ]
+
+        await session.on_event(
+            RealtimeModelItemUpdatedEvent(
+                item=AssistantMessageItem(
+                    item_id="assist_status",
+                    status=incoming_status,
+                    role="assistant",
+                    content=[AssistantAudio(audio=None, transcript=None)],
+                )
+            )
+        )
+
+        updated_item = cast(AssistantMessageItem, session._history[0])
+        assert updated_item.status == (incoming_status or "completed")
+        assert updated_item.content[0].transcript == "Hello there"
+
     @pytest.mark.asyncio
     async def test_assistant_transcript_preserved_on_item_update(self, mock_model, mock_agent):
         session = RealtimeSession(mock_model, mock_agent, None)