diff -u b/core/modules/media_entity/media_entity.info.yml b/core/modules/media_entity/media_entity.info.yml
--- b/core/modules/media_entity/media_entity.info.yml
+++ b/core/modules/media_entity/media_entity.info.yml
@@ -9,3 +9,2 @@
   - drupal:user
-  - drupal:views
   - drupal:system
diff -u b/core/modules/media_entity/src/Entity/Media.php b/core/modules/media_entity/src/Entity/Media.php
--- b/core/modules/media_entity/src/Entity/Media.php
+++ b/core/modules/media_entity/src/Entity/Media.php
@@ -123,22 +123,21 @@
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   public function getPublisher() {
-    return $this->get('uid')->entity;
+    return $this->getOwner();
   }
 
   /**
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   public function getPublisherId() {
-    return $this->get('uid')->target_id;
+    return $this->getOwnerId();
   }
 
   /**
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   public function setPublisherId($uid) {
-    $this->set('uid', $uid);
-    return $this;
+    return $this->setOwnerId($uid);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -160,11 +159,6 @@
       $this->setRevisionUserId($this->getOwnerId());
     }
 
-    // Set thumbnail.
-    if (!$this->get('thumbnail')->entity) {
-      $this->automaticallySetThumbnail();
-    }
-
     // Try to set fields provided by type plugin and mapped in bundle
     // configuration.
     foreach ($this->bundle->entity->getFieldMap() as $source_field => $destination_field) {
@@ -180,6 +174,11 @@
       $this->set('name', $this->getType()->getDefaultName($this));
     }
 
+    // Set thumbnail.
+    if (!$this->get('thumbnail')->entity) {
+      $this->automaticallySetThumbnail();
+    }
+
   }
 
   /**
@@ -200,7 +199,7 @@
     /** @var \Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityStorageInterface $file_storage */
     $file_storage = $this->entityTypeManager()->getStorage('file');
 
-    /** @var \Drupal\media_entity\MediaBundleInterface $bundle */
+    // If thumbnails should be queued then use default thumbnail, else fetch it.
     if ($this->bundle->entity->getQueueThumbnailDownloads() && $this->isNew()) {
       $thumbnail_uri = $this->getType()->getDefaultThumbnail();
     }
@@ -217,8 +216,8 @@
     else {
       /** @var \Drupal\file\FileInterface $file */
       $file = $file_storage->create(['uri' => $thumbnail_uri]);
-      if ($publisher = $this->getOwner()) {
-        $file->setOwner($publisher);
+      if ($owner = $this->getOwner()) {
+        $file->setOwner($owner);
       }
       $file->setPermanent();
       $file->save();
@@ -277,8 +276,7 @@
         'label' => 'hidden',
         'type' => 'string',
         'weight' => -5,
-      ])
-      ->setDisplayConfigurable('view', TRUE);
+      ]);
 
     $fields['thumbnail'] = BaseFieldDefinition::create('image')
       ->setLabel(t('Thumbnail'))