diff --git a/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/HTMLTable.java b/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/HTMLTable.java
index 65c3853..5155ffe 100644
--- a/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/HTMLTable.java
+++ b/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/HTMLTable.java
@@ -1091,19 +1091,20 @@
    * within the Grid's bounding box.
    * </p>
    * 
-   * @param widget The widget to be added
+   * @param widget The widget to be added, or null to clear the cell
    * @param row the cell's row
    * @param column the cell's column
    * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException
    */
   public void setWidget(int row, int column, Widget widget) {
     prepareCell(row, column);
+
+    // Removes any existing widget.
+    Element td = cleanCell(row, column, true);
+
     if (widget != null) {
       widget.removeFromParent();
 
-      // Removes any existing widget.
-      Element td = cleanCell(row, column, true);
-
       // Logical attach.
       widgetMap.put(widget);
 
diff --git a/user/test/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/HTMLTableTestBase.java b/user/test/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/HTMLTableTestBase.java
index 998500b..ef021e8 100644
--- a/user/test/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/HTMLTableTestBase.java
+++ b/user/test/com/google/gwt/user/client/ui/HTMLTableTestBase.java
@@ -241,6 +241,29 @@
     formatter.setWidth(0, 2, "100%");
   }
 
+  public void testSetWidgetNull() {
+    HTMLTable t = getTable(1, 2);
+
+    // Set some text and a widget.
+    Label content = new Label("widget");
+    t.setText(0, 0, "hello world");
+    t.setWidget(0, 1, content);
+    assertEquals("hello world", t.getText(0, 0));
+    assertEquals(content, t.getWidget(0, 1));
+
+    // Set the text cell to a null widget.
+    t.setWidget(0, 0, null);
+    assertEquals("text should be cleared when the widget is set to null", "",
+        t.getText(0, 0));
+    assertEquals("widget should be cleared when set to null", content,
+        t.getWidget(0, 1));
+
+    // Set the widget cell to a null widget.
+    t.setWidget(0, 1, null);
+    assertEquals("", t.getText(0, 0));
+    assertNull(t.getWidget(0, 1));
+  }
+
   public void testSafeHtml() {
     HTMLTable table = getTable(1, 1);
     table.setHTML(0, 0, SafeHtmlUtils.fromSafeConstant(html));