diff --git a/pandas/core/arrays/categorical.py b/pandas/core/arrays/categorical.py
index 03f66ff82ad75..263512e427c69 100644
--- a/pandas/core/arrays/categorical.py
+++ b/pandas/core/arrays/categorical.py
@@ -1177,11 +1177,6 @@ def map(self, mapper):
     # -------------------------------------------------------------
     # Validators; ideally these can be de-duplicated
 
-    def _validate_where_value(self, value):
-        if is_scalar(value):
-            return self._validate_fill_value(value)
-        return self._validate_listlike(value)
-
     def _validate_insert_value(self, value) -> int:
         return self._validate_fill_value(value)
 
diff --git a/pandas/core/arrays/datetimelike.py b/pandas/core/arrays/datetimelike.py
index f8a609fb0cabe..579719d8bac3b 100644
--- a/pandas/core/arrays/datetimelike.py
+++ b/pandas/core/arrays/datetimelike.py
@@ -623,8 +623,6 @@ def _validate_setitem_value(self, value):
 
         return self._unbox(value, setitem=True)
 
-    _validate_where_value = _validate_setitem_value
-
     def _validate_insert_value(self, value):
         value = self._validate_scalar(value)
 
diff --git a/pandas/core/indexes/datetimelike.py b/pandas/core/indexes/datetimelike.py
index 9215fc8994d87..a92190a2bddf8 100644
--- a/pandas/core/indexes/datetimelike.py
+++ b/pandas/core/indexes/datetimelike.py
@@ -485,7 +485,7 @@ def where(self, cond, other=None):
         values = self._data._ndarray
 
         try:
-            other = self._data._validate_where_value(other)
+            other = self._data._validate_setitem_value(other)
         except (TypeError, ValueError) as err:
             # Includes tzawareness mismatch and IncompatibleFrequencyError
             oth = getattr(other, "dtype", other)
diff --git a/pandas/core/indexes/extension.py b/pandas/core/indexes/extension.py
index d37ec12fd3eda..cd1871e4687f3 100644
--- a/pandas/core/indexes/extension.py
+++ b/pandas/core/indexes/extension.py
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ def insert(self, loc: int, item):
 
     def putmask(self, mask, value):
         try:
-            value = self._data._validate_where_value(value)
+            value = self._data._validate_setitem_value(value)
         except (TypeError, ValueError):
             return self.astype(object).putmask(mask, value)