diff --git a/backbone.js b/backbone.js
index f192ad1f2..b0fa1e5b7 100644
--- a/backbone.js
+++ b/backbone.js
@@ -1302,7 +1302,7 @@
     // This only works for delegate-able events: not `focus`, `blur`, and
     // not `change`, `submit`, and `reset` in Internet Explorer.
     delegateEvents: function(events) {
-      if (!(events || (events = _.result(this, 'events')))) return;
+      if (!(events || (events = _.result(this, 'events')))) return this;
       this.undelegateEvents();
       for (var key in events) {
         var method = events[key];