diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/mod.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/mod.rs
index ae81a9dbb..99d67650a 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/mod.rs
@@ -632,24 +632,28 @@ impl Value {
                     }
                     Value::List { vals, span } => {
                         let mut output = vec![];
+                        let mut hasvalue = false;
+                        let mut temp: Result<Value, ShellError> = Err(ShellError::NotFound(*span));
                         for val in vals {
-                            output.push(val.clone().follow_cell_path(&[PathMember::String {
+                            temp = val.clone().follow_cell_path(&[PathMember::String {
                                 val: column_name.clone(),
                                 span: *origin_span,
-                            }])?);
-                            // if let Value::Record { cols, vals, .. } = val {
-                            //     for col in cols.iter().enumerate() {
-                            //         if col.1 == column_name {
-                            //             output.push(vals[col.0].clone());
-                            //         }
-                            //     }
-                            // }
+                            }]);
+                            if let Ok(result) = temp.clone() {
+                                hasvalue = true;
+                                output.push(result);
+                            } else {
+                                output.push(Value::Nothing { span: *span });
+                            }
+                        }
+                        if hasvalue {
+                            current = Value::List {
+                                vals: output,
+                                span: *span,
+                            };
+                        } else {
+                            return temp;
                         }
-
-                        current = Value::List {
-                            vals: output,
-                            span: *span,
-                        };
                     }
                     Value::CustomValue { val, .. } => {
                         current = val.follow_path_string(column_name.clone(), *origin_span)?;
diff --git a/src/tests/test_table_operations.rs b/src/tests/test_table_operations.rs
index 82fffc0a7..b6a6ccb49 100644
--- a/src/tests/test_table_operations.rs
+++ b/src/tests/test_table_operations.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::tests::{fail_test, run_test, TestResult};
+use crate::tests::{run_test, TestResult};
 
 #[test]
 fn cell_path_subexpr1() -> TestResult {
@@ -153,10 +153,11 @@ fn update_cell_path_1() -> TestResult {
 }
 
 #[test]
-fn missing_column_error() -> TestResult {
-    fail_test(
-        r#"([([[name, size]; [ABC, 10], [DEF, 20]]).1, ([[name]; [HIJ]]).0]).size | table"#,
-        "did you mean 'name'?",
+fn missing_column_fills_in_nothing() -> TestResult {
+    // The empty value will be replaced with $nothing when fetching a column
+    run_test(
+        r#"[ { name: ABC, size: 20 }, { name: HIJ } ].size.1 == $nothing"#,
+        "true",
     )
 }