This study investigates whether the positive relation between the real earnings management (REM) and audit fees reported by Choi et al. (2016) differs before and after the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), and varies cross-sectionally depending on the existence of internal control problems. Using a large sample of U.S. firms, we find that the positive relation between REM and audit fees is stronger than the same relation between AEM and audit fees in the post-SOX period, whereas the opposite is true in the pre-SOX period. We also find that the positive relation between REM and audit fees is intensified for firms with material internal control weaknesses.