diff --git a/.changeset/twenty-beans-laugh.md b/.changeset/twenty-beans-laugh.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5dc537d93b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/twenty-beans-laugh.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog-react': patch
+---
+
+Fixed a issue where `CatalogPage` wasn't using the chosen `initiallySelectedFilter` as intended.
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/UserListPicker.test.tsx b/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/UserListPicker.test.tsx
index ad56681d6c..5667447503 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/UserListPicker.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/UserListPicker.test.tsx
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import {
   storageApiRef,
 } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
 import { MockStarredEntitiesApi, starredEntitiesApiRef } from '../../apis';
+import { DefaultEntityFilters } from '../../hooks';
 
 const mockUser: UserEntity = {
   apiVersion: 'backstage.io/v1alpha1',
@@ -289,7 +290,12 @@ describe('<UserListPicker />', () => {
     const updateFilters = jest.fn();
     render(
       <ApiProvider apis={apis}>
-        <MockEntityListContextProvider value={{ updateFilters }}>
+        <MockEntityListContextProvider
+          value={{
+            updateFilters,
+            filters: { kind: new EntityKindFilter('component') },
+          }}
+        >
           <UserListPicker />
         </MockEntityListContextProvider>
       </ApiProvider>,
@@ -297,6 +303,25 @@ describe('<UserListPicker />', () => {
 
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('Starred'));
 
+    // wait until the component has finished loading
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(mockCatalogApi.queryEntities).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+        filter: { kind: 'component', 'metadata.name': ['e-1', 'e-2'] },
+        limit: 1000,
+      });
+      expect(mockCatalogApi.queryEntities).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+        filter: { kind: 'component' },
+        limit: 0,
+      });
+      expect(mockCatalogApi.queryEntities).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+        filter: {
+          kind: 'component',
+          'relations.ownedBy': ['user:default/testuser'],
+        },
+        limit: 0,
+      });
+    });
+
     await waitFor(() =>
       expect(updateFilters).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith({
         user: EntityUserFilter.starred([
@@ -360,12 +385,17 @@ describe('<UserListPicker />', () => {
   describe('filter resetting', () => {
     const updateFilters = jest.fn();
 
-    const Picker = ({ ...props }: UserListPickerProps) => (
+    const Picker = ({
+      filters,
+      ...props
+    }: UserListPickerProps & { filters?: DefaultEntityFilters }) => (
       <ApiProvider apis={apis}>
         <MockEntityListContextProvider
           value={{
             updateFilters,
-            filters: { kind: new EntityKindFilter('component') },
+            filters: filters || {
+              kind: new EntityKindFilter('component'),
+            },
           }}
         >
           <UserListPicker {...props} />
@@ -413,6 +443,21 @@ describe('<UserListPicker />', () => {
         });
       });
 
+      it('does not reset the filter when request is empty', async () => {
+        render(<Picker initialFilter="owned" filters={{}} />);
+
+        await waitFor(() => {
+          expect(mockCatalogApi.queryEntities).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+          expect(mockCatalogApi.queryEntities).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+            filter: { 'metadata.name': ['e-1', 'e-2'] },
+            limit: 1000,
+          });
+        });
+        expect(updateFilters).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+          user: expect.any(Object),
+        });
+      });
+
       it('resets the filter to "all" when entities are loaded', async () => {
         mockCatalogApi.queryEntities?.mockImplementation(async request => {
           if (
@@ -541,6 +586,21 @@ describe('<UserListPicker />', () => {
           }),
         );
       });
+
+      it('does not reset the filter when request is empty xxxx', async () => {
+        render(<Picker initialFilter="owned" filters={{}} />);
+
+        await waitFor(() => {
+          expect(mockCatalogApi.queryEntities).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+          expect(mockCatalogApi.queryEntities).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+            filter: { 'metadata.name': ['e-1', 'e-2'] },
+            limit: 1000,
+          });
+        });
+        expect(updateFilters).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+          user: expect.any(Object),
+        });
+      });
     });
 
     describe(`when there are some starred entities present`, () => {
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/useOwnedEntitiesCount.test.tsx b/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/useOwnedEntitiesCount.test.tsx
index 1f6fbfd53d..aeaa20c535 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/useOwnedEntitiesCount.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/useOwnedEntitiesCount.test.tsx
@@ -93,8 +93,8 @@ describe('useOwnedEntitiesCount', () => {
     ).rejects.toThrow();
 
     expect(result.current).toEqual({
-      count: 0,
-      loading: false,
+      count: undefined,
+      loading: true,
       filter: EntityUserFilter.owned([
         'user:default/spiderman',
         'user:group/a-group',
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/useOwnedEntitiesCount.ts b/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/useOwnedEntitiesCount.ts
index 1adab49361..2f03a0b285 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/useOwnedEntitiesCount.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/UserListPicker/useOwnedEntitiesCount.ts
@@ -14,16 +14,16 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { QueryEntitiesInitialRequest } from '@backstage/catalog-client';
 import { identityApiRef, useApi } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
-import { compact, intersection, isEqual } from 'lodash';
-import { useEffect, useMemo, useRef } from 'react';
+import { compact, intersection } from 'lodash';
+import { useMemo } from 'react';
 import useAsync from 'react-use/lib/useAsync';
 import { catalogApiRef } from '../../api';
 import { EntityOwnerFilter, EntityUserFilter } from '../../filters';
 import { useEntityList } from '../../hooks';
 import { reduceCatalogFilters } from '../../utils';
 import useAsyncFn from 'react-use/lib/useAsyncFn';
+import useDeepCompareEffect from 'react-use/lib/useDeepCompareEffect';
 
 export function useOwnedEntitiesCount() {
   const identityApi = useApi(identityApiRef);
@@ -37,79 +37,63 @@ export function useOwnedEntitiesCount() {
     [],
   );
 
-  const prevRequest = useRef<QueryEntitiesInitialRequest>();
-
-  const request = useMemo(() => {
-    const { user, owners, ...allFilters } = filters;
-    const compacted = compact(Object.values(allFilters));
-    const allFilter = reduceCatalogFilters(compacted);
-    const { ['metadata.name']: metadata, ...filter } = allFilter;
-
-    const countFilter = getOwnedCountClaims(owners, ownershipEntityRefs);
-
-    if (
-      ownershipEntityRefs?.length === 0 ||
-      countFilter === undefined ||
-      Object.keys(filter).length === 0
-    ) {
-      prevRequest.current = undefined;
-      return undefined;
-    }
-    const newRequest: QueryEntitiesInitialRequest = {
-      filter: {
-        ...filter,
-        'relations.ownedBy': countFilter,
-      },
-      limit: 0,
-    };
-
-    if (isEqual(newRequest, prevRequest.current)) {
-      return prevRequest.current;
-    }
-
-    prevRequest.current = newRequest;
-
-    return newRequest;
-  }, [filters, ownershipEntityRefs]);
+  const { user, owners, ...allFilters } = filters;
+  const { ['metadata.name']: metadata, ...filter } = reduceCatalogFilters(
+    compact(Object.values(allFilters)),
+  );
 
   const [{ value: count, loading: loadingEntityOwnership }, fetchEntities] =
     useAsyncFn(
-      async (
-        req: QueryEntitiesInitialRequest | undefined,
-        ownershipEntityRefsParam: string[],
-      ) => {
-        if (ownershipEntityRefsParam && !req) {
+      async (req: {
+        ownershipEntityRefs: string[];
+        owners: EntityOwnerFilter | undefined;
+        filter: Record<string, string | symbol | (string | symbol)[]>;
+      }) => {
+        const ownedClaims = getOwnedCountClaims(
+          req.owners,
+          req.ownershipEntityRefs,
+        );
+        if (ownedClaims === undefined) {
           // this implicitly means that there aren't claims in common with
           // the logged in users, so avoid invoking the queryEntities endpoint
           // which will implicitly returns 0
           return 0;
         }
-        const { totalItems } = await catalogApi.queryEntities(req);
+
+        const { totalItems } = await catalogApi.queryEntities({
+          filter: {
+            ...req.filter,
+            'relations.ownedBy': ownedClaims,
+          },
+          limit: 0,
+        });
         return totalItems;
       },
       [],
       { loading: true },
     );
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (ownershipEntityRefs) {
-      if (request && Object.keys(request).length === 0) {
-        return;
-      }
-      fetchEntities(request, ownershipEntityRefs);
+  useDeepCompareEffect(() => {
+    // context contains no filter, wait
+    if (Object.keys(filter).length === 0) {
+      return;
     }
-  }, [fetchEntities, request, ownershipEntityRefs]);
+    // ownershipEntityRefs is loading, wait
+    if (ownershipEntityRefs === undefined) {
+      return;
+    }
+    fetchEntities({ ownershipEntityRefs, owners, filter });
+  }, [ownershipEntityRefs, owners, filter]);
 
   const loading = loadingEntityRefs || loadingEntityOwnership;
-  const filter = useMemo(
-    () => EntityUserFilter.owned(ownershipEntityRefs ?? []),
-    [ownershipEntityRefs],
-  );
 
   return {
     count,
     loading,
-    filter,
+    filter: useMemo(
+      () => EntityUserFilter.owned(ownershipEntityRefs ?? []),
+      [ownershipEntityRefs],
+    ),
     ownershipEntityRefs,
   };
 }