diff --git a/requirements-tests.txt b/requirements-tests.txt
index cac6dbc83..cb157edd8 100644
--- a/requirements-tests.txt
+++ b/requirements-tests.txt
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ packaging==21.3
 pycln==2.1.1            # must match .pre-commit-config.yaml
 pyyaml==6.0
 pytype==2022.08.30; platform_system != "Windows"
-termcolor
+termcolor>=2
 tomli==1.2.2
 tomlkit==0.11.4
 types-pyyaml
diff --git a/scripts/stubsabot.py b/scripts/stubsabot.py
index f589554eb..971bea07e 100644
--- a/scripts/stubsabot.py
+++ b/scripts/stubsabot.py
@@ -18,22 +18,14 @@ import zipfile
 from collections.abc import Mapping
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, TypeVar
+from typing import Any, TypeVar
 
 import aiohttp
 import packaging.specifiers
 import packaging.version
 import tomli
 import tomlkit
-
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-
-    def colored(__str: str, __style: str) -> str:
-        ...
-
-else:
-    from termcolor import colored
-
+from termcolor import colored
 
 ActionLevelSelf = TypeVar("ActionLevelSelf", bound="ActionLevel")
 
diff --git a/tests/utils.py b/tests/utils.py
index e941afe36..e560acb34 100644
--- a/tests/utils.py
+++ b/tests/utils.py
@@ -3,28 +3,16 @@
 import os
 from functools import cache
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, NamedTuple
+from typing import NamedTuple
 
 import tomli
 
-# ====================================================================
-# Some simple hacks so we don't have to install types-termcolor in CI,
-# and so that tests can be run locally without termcolor installed,
-# if desired
-# ====================================================================
+try:
+    from termcolor import colored as colored
+except ImportError:
 
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-
-    def colored(__str: str, __style: str) -> str:
-        ...
-
-else:
-    try:
-        from termcolor import colored
-    except ImportError:
-
-        def colored(s: str, _: str) -> str:
-            return s
+    def colored(s: str, _: str) -> str:  # type: ignore
+        return s
 
 
 def print_error(error: str, end: str = "\n", fix_path: tuple[str, str] = ("", "")) -> None: