diff --git src/wp-includes/class-wp-comment-query.php src/wp-includes/class-wp-comment-query.php
index eba9ddf54e..28ac6082e3 100644
--- src/wp-includes/class-wp-comment-query.php
+++ src/wp-includes/class-wp-comment-query.php
@@ -379,6 +379,30 @@ class WP_Comment_Query {
 			$this->meta_query_clauses = $this->meta_query->get_sql( 'comment', $wpdb->comments, 'comment_ID', $this );
 		}
 
+		$comment_data = null;
+
+		/**
+		 * Filter the comments data before the query takes place.
+		 *
+		 * Return a non-null value to bypass WordPress's default comment queries.
+		 *
+		 * The expected return type from this filter depends on the value passed in the request query_vars:
+		 * When $this->query_vars['count'] is set, the filter should return the comment count as an int.
+		 * When `'ids' == $this->query_vars['fields']`, the filter should return an array of comment ids.
+		 * Otherwise the filter should return an array of WP_Comment objects.
+		 *
+		 * @since 5.3.0
+		 *
+		 * @param array|int|null   $comment_data Return an array of comment data to short-circuit WP's comment query,
+		 *                                       or null to allow WP to run its normal queries.
+		 * @param WP_Comment_Query $this         The WP_Comment_Query instance, passed by reference.
+		 */
+		$comment_data = apply_filters_ref_array( 'comments_pre_query', array( $comment_data, &$this ) );
+
+		if ( null !== $comment_data ) {
+			return $comment_data;
+		}
+
 		/*
 		 * Only use the args defined in the query_var_defaults to compute the key,
 		 * but ignore 'fields', which does not affect query results.
diff --git tests/phpunit/tests/comment/query.php tests/phpunit/tests/comment/query.php
index 9966f2d1bd..b132c89731 100644
--- tests/phpunit/tests/comment/query.php
+++ tests/phpunit/tests/comment/query.php
@@ -4882,4 +4882,35 @@ class Tests_Comment_Query extends WP_UnitTestCase {
 
 		$this->assertEqualSets( $c1, $found );
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @ticket 45800
+	 */
+	public function test_comments_pre_query_filter_should_bypass_database_query() {
+		global $wpdb;
+
+		add_filter( 'comments_pre_query', array( __CLASS__, 'filter_comments_pre_query' ), 10, 2 );
+
+		$num_queries = $wpdb->num_queries;
+
+		$q       = new WP_Comment_Query();
+		$results = $q->query();
+
+		remove_filter( 'comments_pre_query', array( __CLASS__, 'filter_comments_pre_query' ), 10, 2 );
+
+		// Make sure no queries were executed.
+		$this->assertSame( $num_queries, $wpdb->num_queries );
+
+		// We manually inserted a non-existing site and overrode the results with it.
+		$this->assertSame( array( 555 ), $q->comments );
+
+		// Make sure manually setting total_users doesn't get overwritten.
+		$this->assertEquals( 1, $q->found_comments );
+	}
+
+	public static function filter_comments_pre_query( $comments, $query ) {
+		$query->found_comments = 1;
+
+		return array( 555 );
+	}
 }