diff --git a/profiling/src/config.rs b/profiling/src/config.rs
index 408f67d197e..ce3a1c64d90 100644
--- a/profiling/src/config.rs
+++ b/profiling/src/config.rs
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ pub struct SystemSettings {
     pub profiling_allocation_enabled: bool,
     pub profiling_timeline_enabled: bool,
     pub profiling_exception_enabled: bool,
+    pub profiling_exception_message_enabled: bool,
 
     // todo: can't this be Option<String>? I don't think the string can ever be static.
     pub output_pprof: Option<Cow<'static, str>>,
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ impl SystemSettings {
         self.profiling_allocation_enabled = false;
         self.profiling_timeline_enabled = false;
         self.profiling_exception_enabled = false;
+        self.profiling_exception_message_enabled = false;
     }
 
     /// # Safety
@@ -62,6 +64,7 @@ impl SystemSettings {
             profiling_allocation_enabled: profiling_allocation_enabled(),
             profiling_timeline_enabled: profiling_timeline_enabled(),
             profiling_exception_enabled: profiling_exception_enabled(),
+            profiling_exception_message_enabled: profiling_exception_message_enabled(),
             output_pprof: profiling_output_pprof(),
             profiling_exception_sampling_distance: profiling_exception_sampling_distance(),
             profiling_log_level: profiling_log_level(),
@@ -122,6 +125,7 @@ impl SystemSettings {
             profiling_allocation_enabled: false,
             profiling_timeline_enabled: false,
             profiling_exception_enabled: false,
+            profiling_exception_message_enabled: false,
             output_pprof: None,
             profiling_exception_sampling_distance: 0,
             profiling_log_level: LevelFilter::Off,
@@ -138,6 +142,7 @@ impl SystemSettings {
         system_settings.profiling_allocation_enabled = false;
         system_settings.profiling_timeline_enabled = false;
         system_settings.profiling_exception_enabled = false;
+        system_settings.profiling_exception_message_enabled = false;
     }
 }
 
@@ -332,6 +337,7 @@ pub(crate) enum ConfigId {
     ProfilingAllocationEnabled,
     ProfilingTimelineEnabled,
     ProfilingExceptionEnabled,
+    ProfilingExceptionMessageEnabled,
     ProfilingExceptionSamplingDistance,
     ProfilingLogLevel,
     ProfilingOutputPprof,
@@ -358,6 +364,7 @@ impl ConfigId {
             ProfilingAllocationEnabled => b"DD_PROFILING_ALLOCATION_ENABLED\0",
             ProfilingTimelineEnabled => b"DD_PROFILING_TIMELINE_ENABLED\0",
             ProfilingExceptionEnabled => b"DD_PROFILING_EXCEPTION_ENABLED\0",
+            ProfilingExceptionMessageEnabled => b"DD_PROFILING_EXCEPTION_MESSAGE_ENABLED\0",
             ProfilingExceptionSamplingDistance => b"DD_PROFILING_EXCEPTION_SAMPLING_DISTANCE\0",
             ProfilingLogLevel => b"DD_PROFILING_LOG_LEVEL\0",
 
@@ -400,6 +407,7 @@ lazy_static::lazy_static! {
         profiling_allocation_enabled: false,
         profiling_timeline_enabled: false,
         profiling_exception_enabled: false,
+        profiling_exception_message_enabled: false,
         output_pprof: None,
         profiling_exception_sampling_distance: u32::MAX,
         profiling_log_level: LevelFilter::Off,
@@ -415,6 +423,7 @@ lazy_static::lazy_static! {
         profiling_allocation_enabled: true,
         profiling_timeline_enabled: true,
         profiling_exception_enabled: true,
+        profiling_exception_message_enabled: false,
         output_pprof: None,
         profiling_exception_sampling_distance: 100,
         profiling_log_level: LevelFilter::Off,
@@ -496,6 +505,16 @@ unsafe fn profiling_exception_enabled() -> bool {
         )
 }
 
+/// # Safety
+/// This function must only be called after config has been initialized in
+/// rinit, and before it is uninitialized in mshutdown.
+unsafe fn profiling_exception_message_enabled() -> bool {
+    get_system_bool(
+        ProfilingExceptionMessageEnabled,
+        DEFAULT_SYSTEM_SETTINGS.profiling_exception_message_enabled,
+    )
+}
+
 /// # Safety
 /// This function must only be called after config has been initialized in
 /// rinit, and before it is uninitialized in mshutdown.
@@ -811,6 +830,16 @@ pub(crate) fn minit(module_number: libc::c_int) {
                     ini_change: Some(zai_config_system_ini_change),
                     parser: None,
                 },
+                zai_config_entry {
+                    id: transmute(ProfilingExceptionMessageEnabled),
+                    name: ProfilingExceptionMessageEnabled.env_var_name(),
+                    type_: ZAI_CONFIG_TYPE_BOOL,
+                    default_encoded_value: ZaiStr::literal(b"0\0"),
+                    aliases: ptr::null_mut(),
+                    aliases_count: 0,
+                    ini_change: Some(zai_config_system_ini_change),
+                    parser: None,
+                },
                 zai_config_entry {
                     id: transmute(ProfilingExceptionSamplingDistance),
                     name: ProfilingExceptionSamplingDistance.env_var_name(),
diff --git a/profiling/src/exception.rs b/profiling/src/exception.rs
index c5f9b5ec624..3e054a7a533 100644
--- a/profiling/src/exception.rs
+++ b/profiling/src/exception.rs
@@ -60,13 +60,23 @@ impl ExceptionProfilingStats {
         #[cfg(php8)]
         let exception_name = unsafe { (*exception).class_name() };
 
-        let message = unsafe {
+        let collect_message = REQUEST_LOCALS.with(|cell| {
+            cell.try_borrow()
+                .map(|locals| locals.system_settings().profiling_exception_message_enabled)
+                .unwrap_or(false)
+        });
+
+        let message = if collect_message {
             #[cfg(php7)]
-            let exception_obj = (*exception).value.obj;
+            let exception_obj = unsafe { (*exception).value.obj };
             #[cfg(php8)]
             let exception_obj = exception;
-            zend::zai_str_from_zstr(zend::zai_exception_message(exception_obj).as_mut())
-                .into_string()
+            Some(unsafe {
+                zend::zai_str_from_zstr(zend::zai_exception_message(exception_obj).as_mut())
+                    .into_string()
+            })
+        } else {
+            None
         };
 
         self.next_sampling_interval();
diff --git a/profiling/src/profiling/mod.rs b/profiling/src/profiling/mod.rs
index a89ce750cb6..c024dc6304b 100644
--- a/profiling/src/profiling/mod.rs
+++ b/profiling/src/profiling/mod.rs
@@ -758,7 +758,7 @@ impl Profiler {
         &self,
         execute_data: *mut zend_execute_data,
         exception: String,
-        message: String,
+        message: Option<String>,
     ) {
         let result = collect_stack_sample(execute_data);
         match result {
@@ -771,10 +771,12 @@ impl Profiler {
                     value: LabelValue::Str(exception.clone().into()),
                 });
 
-                labels.push(Label {
-                    key: "exception message",
-                    value: LabelValue::Str(message.into()),
-                });
+                if message.is_some() {
+                    labels.push(Label {
+                        key: "exception message",
+                        value: LabelValue::Str(message.unwrap().into()),
+                    });
+                }
 
                 let n_labels = labels.len();
 
@@ -1083,6 +1085,7 @@ mod tests {
             profiling_allocation_enabled: false,
             profiling_timeline_enabled: false,
             profiling_exception_enabled: false,
+            profiling_exception_message_enabled: false,
             output_pprof: None,
             profiling_exception_sampling_distance: 100,
             profiling_log_level: LevelFilter::Off,