diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/37150-make_modprobe_module_check_for_builtins_as_well.yaml b/changelogs/fragments/37150-make_modprobe_module_check_for_builtins_as_well.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6c0bf800040
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/37150-make_modprobe_module_check_for_builtins_as_well.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+---
+bugfixes:
+- "modprobe - The modprobe module now detects builtin kernel modules. If a kernel module is builtin the modprobe module will now: succeed (without incorrectly reporting changed) if ``state`` is ``present``; and fail if ``state`` is ``absent`` (with an error message like ``modprobe: ERROR: Module nfs is builtin.``). (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/37150)"
diff --git a/docs/docsite/rst/porting_guides/porting_guide_2.8.rst b/docs/docsite/rst/porting_guides/porting_guide_2.8.rst
index af622c1e8b4..97bda532f70 100644
--- a/docs/docsite/rst/porting_guides/porting_guide_2.8.rst
+++ b/docs/docsite/rst/porting_guides/porting_guide_2.8.rst
@@ -131,6 +131,13 @@ Noteworthy module changes
 * The ``na_ontap_cluster_peer`` module has replaced ``source_intercluster_lif`` and ``dest_intercluster_lif`` string options with
   ``source_intercluster_lifs`` and ``dest_intercluster_lifs`` list options
 
+* The ``modprobe`` module now detects kernel builtins. Previously, attempting to remove (with ``state: absent``)
+  a builtin kernel module succeeded without any error message because ``modprobe`` did not detect the module as
+  ``present``. Now, ``modprobe`` will fail if a kernel module is builtin and ``state: absent`` (with an error message
+  from the modprobe binary like ``modprobe: ERROR: Module nfs is builtin.``), and it will succeed without reporting
+  changed if ``state: present``. Any playbooks that are using ``changed_when: no`` to mask this quirk can safely
+  remove that workaround. To get the previous behavior when applying ``state: absent`` to a builtin kernel module,
+  use ``failed_when: false`` or ``ignore_errors: true`` in your playbook.
 
 Plugins
 =======
diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/system/modprobe.py b/lib/ansible/modules/system/modprobe.py
index ca530921859..b102e0c76ae 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/system/modprobe.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/system/modprobe.py
@@ -83,14 +83,22 @@ def main():
 
     # Check if module is present
     try:
-        modules = open('/proc/modules')
         present = False
-        module_name = name.replace('-', '_') + ' '
-        for line in modules:
-            if line.startswith(module_name):
-                present = True
-                break
-        modules.close()
+        with open('/proc/modules') as modules:
+            module_name = name.replace('-', '_') + ' '
+            for line in modules:
+                if line.startswith(module_name):
+                    present = True
+                    break
+        if not present:
+            command = [module.get_bin_path('uname', True), '-r']
+            rc, uname_kernel_release, err = module.run_command(command)
+            module_file = '/' + name + '.ko'
+            with open('/lib/modules/' + uname_kernel_release + '/modules.builtin') as builtins:
+                for line in builtins:
+                    if line.endswith(module_file):
+                        present = True
+                        break
     except IOError as e:
         module.fail_json(msg=to_native(e), exception=traceback.format_exc(), **result)