diff --git a/scripts/validate_docstrings.py b/scripts/validate_docstrings.py
index 944575dcc8659..3c222c7701833 100755
--- a/scripts/validate_docstrings.py
+++ b/scripts/validate_docstrings.py
@@ -69,8 +69,10 @@
 }
 ALL_ERRORS = set(NUMPYDOC_ERROR_MSGS).union(set(ERROR_MSGS))
 duplicated_errors = set(NUMPYDOC_ERROR_MSGS).intersection(set(ERROR_MSGS))
-assert not duplicated_errors, (f"Errors {duplicated_errors} exist in both pandas "
-                               "and numpydoc, should they be removed from pandas?")
+assert not duplicated_errors, (
+    f"Errors {duplicated_errors} exist in both pandas "
+    "and numpydoc, should they be removed from pandas?"
+)
 
 
 def pandas_error(code, **kwargs):
@@ -245,7 +247,15 @@ def pandas_validate(func_name: str):
     # Some objects are instances, e.g. IndexSlice, which numpydoc can't validate
     doc_obj = get_doc_object(func_obj, doc=func_obj.__doc__)
     doc = PandasDocstring(func_name, doc_obj)
-    result = validate(doc_obj)
+    if func_obj.__doc__ is not None:
+        result = validate(doc_obj)
+    else:
+        result = {
+            "docstring": "",
+            "file": None,
+            "file_line": None,
+            "errors": [("GL08", "The object does not have a docstring")],
+        }
     mentioned_errs = doc.mentioned_private_classes
     if mentioned_errs:
         result["errors"].append(
@@ -257,7 +267,7 @@ def pandas_validate(func_name: str):
             pandas_error(
                 "SA05",
                 reference_name=rel_name,
-                right_reference=rel_name[len("pandas."):],
+                right_reference=rel_name[len("pandas.") :],
             )
             for rel_name in doc.see_also
             if rel_name.startswith("pandas.")
@@ -365,12 +375,13 @@ def print_validate_all_results(
     for func_name, res in result.items():
         error_messages = dict(res["errors"])
         actual_failures = set(error_messages)
-        expected_failures = (ignore_errors.get(func_name, set())
-                             | ignore_errors.get(None, set()))
+        expected_failures = ignore_errors.get(func_name, set()) | ignore_errors.get(
+            None, set()
+        )
         for err_code in actual_failures - expected_failures:
             sys.stdout.write(
                 f'{prefix}{res["file"]}:{res["file_line"]}:'
-                f'{err_code}:{func_name}:{error_messages[err_code]}\n'
+                f"{err_code}:{func_name}:{error_messages[err_code]}\n"
             )
             exit_status += 1
         for err_code in ignore_errors.get(func_name, set()) - actual_failures:
@@ -384,8 +395,9 @@ def print_validate_all_results(
     return exit_status
 
 
-def print_validate_one_results(func_name: str,
-                               ignore_errors: dict[str, set[str]]) -> int:
+def print_validate_one_results(
+    func_name: str, ignore_errors: dict[str, set[str]]
+) -> int:
     def header(title, width=80, char="#") -> str:
         full_line = char * width
         side_len = (width - len(title) - 2) // 2
@@ -396,8 +408,11 @@ def header(title, width=80, char="#") -> str:
 
     result = pandas_validate(func_name)
 
-    result["errors"] = [(code, message) for code, message in result["errors"]
-                        if code not in ignore_errors.get(None, set())]
+    result["errors"] = [
+        (code, message)
+        for code, message in result["errors"]
+        if code not in ignore_errors.get(None, set())
+    ]
 
     sys.stderr.write(header(f"Docstring ({func_name})"))
     sys.stderr.write(f"{result['docstring']}\n")
@@ -431,14 +446,16 @@ def _format_ignore_errors(raw_ignore_errors):
                     raise ValueError(
                         f"Object `{obj_name}` is present in more than one "
                         "--ignore_errors argument. Please use it once and specify "
-                        "the errors separated by commas.")
+                        "the errors separated by commas."
+                    )
                 ignore_errors[obj_name] = set(error_codes.split(","))
 
                 unknown_errors = ignore_errors[obj_name] - ALL_ERRORS
                 if unknown_errors:
                     raise ValueError(
                         f"Object `{obj_name}` is ignoring errors {unknown_errors} "
-                        f"which are not known. Known errors are: {ALL_ERRORS}")
+                        f"which are not known. Known errors are: {ALL_ERRORS}"
+                    )
 
             # global errors "PR02,ES01"
             else:
@@ -448,27 +465,19 @@ def _format_ignore_errors(raw_ignore_errors):
         if unknown_errors:
             raise ValueError(
                 f"Unknown errors {unknown_errors} specified using --ignore_errors "
-                "Known errors are: {ALL_ERRORS}")
+                "Known errors are: {ALL_ERRORS}"
+            )
 
     return ignore_errors
 
 
-def main(
-    func_name,
-    output_format,
-    prefix,
-    ignore_deprecated,
-    ignore_errors
-):
+def main(func_name, output_format, prefix, ignore_deprecated, ignore_errors):
     """
     Main entry point. Call the validation for one or for all docstrings.
     """
     if func_name is None:
         return print_validate_all_results(
-            output_format,
-            prefix,
-            ignore_deprecated,
-            ignore_errors
+            output_format, prefix, ignore_deprecated, ignore_errors
         )
     else:
         return print_validate_one_results(func_name, ignore_errors)
@@ -524,10 +533,11 @@ def main(
     args = argparser.parse_args(sys.argv[1:])
 
     sys.exit(
-        main(args.function,
-             args.format,
-             args.prefix,
-             args.ignore_deprecated,
-             _format_ignore_errors(args.ignore_errors),
-             )
+        main(
+            args.function,
+            args.format,
+            args.prefix,
+            args.ignore_deprecated,
+            _format_ignore_errors(args.ignore_errors),
+        )
     )