diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backends/web_backend/js/nbagg_mpl.js b/lib/matplotlib/backends/web_backend/js/nbagg_mpl.js
index 9881819de855..0f538979d19d 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/backends/web_backend/js/nbagg_mpl.js
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backends/web_backend/js/nbagg_mpl.js
@@ -48,11 +48,19 @@ mpl.mpl_figure_comm = function (comm, msg) {
         console.error('Failed to find cell for figure', id, fig);
         return;
     }
+    fig.cell_info[0].output_area.element.one(
+        'cleared',
+        { fig: fig },
+        fig._remove_fig_handler
+    );
 };
 
 mpl.figure.prototype.handle_close = function (fig, msg) {
     var width = fig.canvas.width / fig.ratio;
-    fig.root.removeEventListener('remove', this._remove_fig_handler);
+    fig.cell_info[0].output_area.element.off(
+        'cleared',
+        fig._remove_fig_handler
+    );
 
     // Update the output cell to use the data from the current canvas.
     fig.push_to_output();
@@ -171,13 +179,13 @@ mpl.figure.prototype._init_toolbar = function () {
     titlebar.insertBefore(buttongrp, titlebar.firstChild);
 };
 
-mpl.figure.prototype._remove_fig_handler = function () {
-    this.close_ws(this, {});
+mpl.figure.prototype._remove_fig_handler = function (event) {
+    var fig = event.data.fig;
+    fig.close_ws(fig, {});
 };
 
 mpl.figure.prototype._root_extra_style = function (el) {
     el.style.boxSizing = 'content-box'; // override notebook setting of border-box.
-    el.addEventListener('remove', this._remove_fig_handler);
 };
 
 mpl.figure.prototype._canvas_extra_style = function (el) {
diff --git a/requirements/testing/travis_extra.txt b/requirements/testing/travis_extra.txt
index 19b774b382f7..0b18fc58394a 100644
--- a/requirements/testing/travis_extra.txt
+++ b/requirements/testing/travis_extra.txt
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Extra pip requirements for the travis python 3.7+ builds
 
 ipykernel
-nbconvert[execute]
+nbconvert[execute]!=6.0.0,!=6.0.1
 nbformat!=5.0.0,!=5.0.1
 pandas!=0.25.0
 pikepdf