diff --git a/client/coral-admin/src/actions/comments.js b/client/coral-admin/src/actions/comments.js
index f37c79b4f..fe4895ed3 100644
--- a/client/coral-admin/src/actions/comments.js
+++ b/client/coral-admin/src/actions/comments.js
@@ -55,9 +55,9 @@ export const fetchFlaggedQueue = () => {
     dispatch({type: commentTypes.COMMENTS_MODERATION_QUEUE_FETCH_REQUEST});
 
     return coralApi('/queue/comments/flagged')
-      .then(comments => {
-        comments.forEach(comment => comment.flagged = true);
-        return comments;
+      .then(results => {
+        results.comments.forEach(comment => comment.flagged = true);
+        return results;
       })
       .then(addUsersCommentsActions.bind(this, dispatch));
   };
diff --git a/client/coral-admin/src/containers/ModerationQueue/ModerationQueue.js b/client/coral-admin/src/containers/ModerationQueue/ModerationQueue.js
index d46a9b35d..6121ca307 100644
--- a/client/coral-admin/src/containers/ModerationQueue/ModerationQueue.js
+++ b/client/coral-admin/src/containers/ModerationQueue/ModerationQueue.js
@@ -22,49 +22,61 @@ export default ({onTabClick, ...props}) => (
            className={`mdl-tabs__tab ${styles.tab}`}>{lang.t('modqueue.flagged')}</a>
       </div>
       <div className={`mdl-tabs__panel is-active ${styles.listContainer}`} id='pending'>
-        <CommentList
-          suspectWords={props.settings.settings.wordlist.suspect}
-          isActive={props.activeTab === 'pending'}
-          singleView={props.singleView}
-          commentIds={props.premodIds}
-          comments={props.comments.byId}
-          users={props.users.byId}
-          onClickAction={props.updateStatus}
-          onClickShowBanDialog={props.showBanUserDialog}
-          modActions={['reject', 'approve', 'ban']}
-          loading={props.comments.loading}/>
-        <BanUserDialog
-          open={props.comments.showBanUserDialog}
-          handleClose={props.hideBanUserDialog}
-          onClickBanUser={props.banUser}
-          user={props.comments.banUser}
-        />
+        {
+          props.activeTab === 'pending'
+          ? <div>
+              <CommentList
+                suspectWords={props.settings.settings.wordlist.suspect}
+                isActive={props.activeTab === 'pending'}
+                singleView={props.singleView}
+                commentIds={props.premodIds}
+                comments={props.comments.byId}
+                users={props.users.byId}
+                onClickAction={props.updateStatus}
+                onClickShowBanDialog={props.showBanUserDialog}
+                modActions={['reject', 'approve', 'ban']}
+                loading={props.comments.loading} />
+              <BanUserDialog
+                open={props.comments.showBanUserDialog}
+                handleClose={props.hideBanUserDialog}
+                onClickBanUser={props.banUser}
+                user={props.comments.banUser} />
+            </div>
+          : null
+        }
       </div>
       <div className={`mdl-tabs__panel ${styles.listContainer}`} id='rejected'>
-        <CommentList
-          suspectWords={props.settings.settings.wordlist.suspect}
-          isActive={props.activeTab === 'rejected'}
-          singleView={props.singleView}
-          commentIds={props.rejectedIds}
-          comments={props.comments.byId}
-          users={props.users.byId}
-          onClickAction={props.updateStatus}
-          modActions={['approve']}
-          loading={props.comments.loading}
-        />
+      {
+        props.activeTab === 'rejected'
+        ? <CommentList
+            suspectWords={props.settings.settings.wordlist.suspect}
+            isActive={props.activeTab === 'rejected'}
+            singleView={props.singleView}
+            commentIds={props.rejectedIds}
+            comments={props.comments.byId}
+            users={props.users.byId}
+            onClickAction={props.updateStatus}
+            modActions={['approve']}
+            loading={props.comments.loading} />
+        : null
+      }
       </div>
       <div className={`mdl-tabs__panel ${styles.listContainer}`} id='flagged'>
-        <CommentList
-          suspectWords={props.settings.settings.wordlist.suspect}
-          isActive={props.activeTab === 'flagged'}
-          singleView={props.singleView}
-          commentIds={props.flaggedIds}
-          comments={props.comments.byId}
-          users={props.users.byId}
-          onClickAction={props.updateStatus}
-          modActions={['reject', 'approve']}
-          loading={props.comments.loading}/>
-      </div>
+      {
+        props.activeTab === 'flagged'
+        ? <CommentList
+            suspectWords={props.settings.settings.wordlist.suspect}
+            isActive={props.activeTab === 'flagged'}
+            singleView={props.singleView}
+            commentIds={props.flaggedIds}
+            comments={props.comments.byId}
+            users={props.users.byId}
+            onClickAction={props.updateStatus}
+            modActions={['reject', 'approve']}
+            loading={props.comments.loading} />
+        : null
+      }
+       </div>
       <ModerationKeysModal open={props.modalOpen} onClose={props.closeModal} />
     </div>
   </div>
diff --git a/models/comment.js b/models/comment.js
index 3f8156b24..99eaec069 100644
--- a/models/comment.js
+++ b/models/comment.js
@@ -266,8 +266,16 @@ CommentSchema.statics.all = () => Comment.find();
  * probably to be paginated at some point in the future
  * @return {Promise} array resolves to an array of comments by that user
  */
-CommentSchema.statics.findByUserId = function (author_id) {
-  return Comment.find({author_id});
+CommentSchema.statics.findByUserId = function (author_id, admin = false) {
+
+  // do not return un-published comments for non-admins
+  let query = {author_id};
+
+  if (!admin) {
+    query.$nor = [{status: 'premod'}, {status: 'rejected'}];
+  }
+
+  return Comment.find(query);
 };
 
 // Comment model.
diff --git a/routes/api/comments/index.js b/routes/api/comments/index.js
index 8bf3616eb..1d5d73ea0 100644
--- a/routes/api/comments/index.js
+++ b/routes/api/comments/index.js
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ router.get('/', (req, res, next) => {
   // otherwise this will be a vulnerability if you pass user_id and something else,
   // the app will return admin-level data without the proper checks
   if (user_id) {
-    query = Comment.findByUserId(user_id);
+    query = Comment.findByUserId(user_id, authorization.has(req.user, 'admin'));
   } else if (status) {
     query = assetIDWrap(Comment.findByStatus(status === 'new' ? null : status));
   } else if (action_type) {
diff --git a/tests/models/comment.js b/tests/models/comment.js
index 455b937f3..83a081da5 100644
--- a/tests/models/comment.js
+++ b/tests/models/comment.js
@@ -187,6 +187,23 @@ describe('models.Comment', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('#findByUserId', () => {
+    it('should return all comments if admin', () => {
+      return Comment.findByUserId('456', true)
+        .then(comments => {
+          expect(comments).to.have.length(4);
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('should not return premod and rejected comments if not admin', () => {
+      return Comment.findByUserId('456')
+        .then(comments => {
+          expect(comments).to.have.length(1);
+        });
+    });
+
+  });
+
   describe('#changeStatus', () => {
 
     it('should change the status of a comment from no status', () => {
diff --git a/tests/routes/api/comments/index.js b/tests/routes/api/comments/index.js
index 7a3a2c592..e905f273d 100644
--- a/tests/routes/api/comments/index.js
+++ b/tests/routes/api/comments/index.js
@@ -83,15 +83,14 @@ describe('/api/v1/comments', () => {
       ]);
     });
 
-    it('should return only the owner’s comments if the user is not an admin', () => {
+    it('should return only the owner’s published comments if the user is not an admin', () => {
       return chai.request(app)
         .get('/api/v1/comments?user_id=456')
         .set(passport.inject({id: '456', roles: []}))
         .then(res => {
           expect(res).to.have.status(200);
-          expect(res.body.comments).to.have.length(2);
+          expect(res.body.comments).to.have.length(1);
           expect(res.body.comments[0]).to.have.property('author_id', '456');
-          expect(res.body.comments[1]).to.have.property('author_id', '456');
         });
     });