diff --git a/bitbake/bin/bitbake-worker b/bitbake/bin/bitbake-worker
index 04d7570140..577651386f 100755
--- a/bitbake/bin/bitbake-worker
+++ b/bitbake/bin/bitbake-worker
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ def fork_off_task(cfg, data, databuilder, workerdata, extraconfigdata, runtask):
     if 'fakeroot' in taskdep and taskname in taskdep['fakeroot'] and not dry_run:
         fakeroot = True
         envvars = (runtask['fakerootenv'] or "").split()
-        for key, value in (var.split('=') for var in envvars):
+        for key, value in (var.split('=',1) for var in envvars):
             envbackup[key] = os.environ.get(key)
             os.environ[key] = value
             fakeenv[key] = value
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ def fork_off_task(cfg, data, databuilder, workerdata, extraconfigdata, runtask):
                         (fn, taskname, ', '.join(fakedirs)))
     else:
         envvars = (runtask['fakerootnoenv'] or "").split()
-        for key, value in (var.split('=') for var in envvars):
+        for key, value in (var.split('=',1) for var in envvars):
             envbackup[key] = os.environ.get(key)
             os.environ[key] = value
             fakeenv[key] = value
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/runqueue.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/runqueue.py
index 6987de3e29..bc7e18175d 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/runqueue.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/runqueue.py
@@ -1359,7 +1359,7 @@ class RunQueue:
             fakerootcmd = shlex.split(mcdata.getVar("FAKEROOTCMD"))
             fakerootenv = (mcdata.getVar("FAKEROOTBASEENV") or "").split()
             env = os.environ.copy()
-            for key, value in (var.split('=') for var in fakerootenv):
+            for key, value in (var.split('=',1) for var in fakerootenv):
                 env[key] = value
             worker = subprocess.Popen(fakerootcmd + [sys.executable, workerscript, magic], stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stdin=subprocess.PIPE, env=env)
             fakerootlogs = self.rqdata.dataCaches[mc].fakerootlogs