diff --git a/pkg/controllers/report/utils/events.go b/pkg/controllers/report/utils/events.go
index 4fd2d5e2cb..a1e3aaf9ef 100644
--- a/pkg/controllers/report/utils/events.go
+++ b/pkg/controllers/report/utils/events.go
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 package utils
 
 import (
-	"strings"
-
 	"github.com/go-logr/logr"
 	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/config"
 	engineapi "github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/engine/api"
@@ -36,7 +34,7 @@ func generateSuccessEvents(log logr.Logger, ers ...*engineapi.EngineResponse) (e
 func generateExceptionEvents(log logr.Logger, ers ...*engineapi.EngineResponse) (eventInfos []event.Info) {
 	for _, er := range ers {
 		for i, ruleResp := range er.PolicyResponse.Rules {
-			isException := strings.Contains(ruleResp.Message, "rule skipped due to policy exception")
+			isException := ruleResp.Exception != nil
 			if ruleResp.Status == engineapi.RuleStatusSkip && isException {
 				eventInfos = append(eventInfos, event.NewPolicyExceptionEvents(er, &er.PolicyResponse.Rules[i])...)
 			}
diff --git a/pkg/engine/api/ruleresponse.go b/pkg/engine/api/ruleresponse.go
index 5dbb8fa2a4..bf2c7b471c 100644
--- a/pkg/engine/api/ruleresponse.go
+++ b/pkg/engine/api/ruleresponse.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package api
 import (
 	"fmt"
 
+	kyvernov2alpha1 "github.com/kyverno/kyverno/api/kyverno/v2alpha1"
 	pssutils "github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/pss/utils"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured"
@@ -43,6 +44,8 @@ type RuleResponse struct {
 	PatchedTargetParentResourceGVR metav1.GroupVersionResource
 	// PodSecurityChecks contains pod security checks (only if this is a pod security rule)
 	PodSecurityChecks *PodSecurityChecks
+	// Exception is the exception applied (if any)
+	Exception *kyvernov2alpha1.PolicyException
 }
 
 // HasStatus checks if rule status is in a given list
diff --git a/pkg/engine/exceptions.go b/pkg/engine/exceptions.go
index 719a5558b8..830f59a0a3 100644
--- a/pkg/engine/exceptions.go
+++ b/pkg/engine/exceptions.go
@@ -83,19 +83,18 @@ func hasPolicyExceptions(
 ) *engineapi.RuleResponse {
 	// if matches, check if there is a corresponding policy exception
 	exception, err := matchesException(selector, ctx, rule, subresourceGVKToAPIResource, cfg)
+	var response *engineapi.RuleResponse
 	// if we found an exception
 	if err == nil && exception != nil {
 		key, err := cache.MetaNamespaceKeyFunc(exception)
 		if err != nil {
 			log.Error(err, "failed to compute policy exception key", "namespace", exception.GetNamespace(), "name", exception.GetName())
-			return &engineapi.RuleResponse{
-				Name:    rule.Name,
-				Message: "failed to find matched exception " + key,
-				Status:  engineapi.RuleStatusError,
-			}
+			response = internal.RuleError(rule, ruleType, "failed to compute exception key", err)
+		} else {
+			log.V(3).Info("policy rule skipped due to policy exception", "exception", key)
+			response = internal.RuleSkip(rule, ruleType, "rule skipped due to policy exception "+key)
+			response.Exception = exception
 		}
-		log.V(3).Info("policy rule skipped due to policy exception", "exception", key)
-		return internal.RuleSkip(rule, ruleType, "rule skipped due to policy exception "+key)
 	}
-	return nil
+	return response
 }
diff --git a/pkg/event/events.go b/pkg/event/events.go
index 00bf31ea29..e33222f516 100644
--- a/pkg/event/events.go
+++ b/pkg/event/events.go
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ func NewBackgroundSuccessEvent(policy, rule string, source Source, r *unstructur
 }
 
 func NewPolicyExceptionEvents(engineResponse *engineapi.EngineResponse, ruleResp *engineapi.RuleResponse) []Info {
-	exceptionName, exceptionNamespace := getExceptionEventInfoFromRuleResponseMsg(ruleResp.Message)
+	exceptionName, exceptionNamespace := ruleResp.Exception.GetName(), ruleResp.Exception.GetNamespace()
 	policyMessage := fmt.Sprintf("resource %s was skipped from rule %s due to policy exception %s/%s", engineResponse.PatchedResource.GetName(), ruleResp.Name, exceptionNamespace, exceptionName)
 	var exceptionMessage string
 	if engineResponse.Policy.GetNamespace() == "" {
@@ -148,18 +148,3 @@ func NewPolicyExceptionEvents(engineResponse *engineapi.EngineResponse, ruleResp
 	}
 	return []Info{policyEvent, exceptionEvent}
 }
-
-func getExceptionEventInfoFromRuleResponseMsg(message string) (name string, namespace string) {
-	key := message[strings.LastIndex(message, " ")+1:]
-	arr := strings.Split(key, "/")
-
-	if len(arr) > 1 {
-		namespace = arr[0]
-		name = arr[1]
-	} else {
-		namespace = ""
-		name = arr[0]
-	}
-
-	return name, namespace
-}
diff --git a/pkg/webhooks/utils/event.go b/pkg/webhooks/utils/event.go
index 97c89b2ccb..62a8590b4b 100644
--- a/pkg/webhooks/utils/event.go
+++ b/pkg/webhooks/utils/event.go
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 package utils
 
 import (
-	"strings"
-
 	engineapi "github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/engine/api"
 	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/event"
 )
@@ -34,7 +32,7 @@ func GenerateEvents(engineResponses []*engineapi.EngineResponse, blocked bool) [
 			}
 		} else if er.IsSkipped() { // Handle PolicyException Event
 			for i, ruleResp := range er.PolicyResponse.Rules {
-				isException := strings.Contains(ruleResp.Message, "rule skipped due to policy exception")
+				isException := ruleResp.Exception != nil
 				if ruleResp.Status == engineapi.RuleStatusSkip && !blocked && isException {
 					events = append(events, event.NewPolicyExceptionEvents(er, &er.PolicyResponse.Rules[i])...)
 				}