diff --git a/examples/react-ts/.env b/examples/react-ts/.env
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1566bb1d76a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/react-ts/.env
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+FOO=bar
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/examples/react-ts/src/button.stories.tsx b/examples/react-ts/src/button.stories.tsx
index b37bb8072345..db360ee35e09 100644
--- a/examples/react-ts/src/button.stories.tsx
+++ b/examples/react-ts/src/button.stories.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,13 @@ export const StoryNoRender = {
   args: { label: 'magic!' },
 };
 
+export const ProcessEnv = {
+  args: { label: process.env.FOO },
+  play: () => {
+    process.env.BAZ = 'moo';
+  },
+};
+
 export const StoryWithPlay = {
   args: { label: 'play' },
   play: () => {
diff --git a/lib/core-common/src/utils/envs.ts b/lib/core-common/src/utils/envs.ts
index c5287b68de79..3ed12164f269 100644
--- a/lib/core-common/src/utils/envs.ts
+++ b/lib/core-common/src/utils/envs.ts
@@ -59,8 +59,12 @@ export const stringifyProcessEnvs = (raw: Record<string, string>): Record<string
       'process.env.XSTORYBOOK_EXAMPLE_APP': '""',
     }
   );
-  // support destructuring like
+  // FIXME: something like this is necessary to support destructuring like:
+  //
   // const { foo } = process.env;
-  envs['process.env'] = JSON.stringify(raw);
+  //
+  // However, it also means that process.env.foo = 'bar' will fail, so removing this:
+  //
+  // envs['process.env'] = JSON.stringify(raw);
   return envs;
 };