diff --git a/commitizen/config/json_config.py b/commitizen/config/json_config.py
index 3951c5285..688a6b9fe 100644
--- a/commitizen/config/json_config.py
+++ b/commitizen/config/json_config.py
@@ -27,7 +27,10 @@ def __init__(self, *, data: bytes | str, path: Path) -> None:
 
     def contains_commitizen_section(self) -> bool:
         with self.path.open("rb") as json_file:
-            config_doc = json.load(json_file)
+            try:
+                config_doc = json.load(json_file)
+            except json.JSONDecodeError:
+                return False
         return config_doc.get("commitizen") is not None
 
     def init_empty_config_content(self) -> None:
diff --git a/commitizen/config/yaml_config.py b/commitizen/config/yaml_config.py
index 0e79735f2..1e9610e17 100644
--- a/commitizen/config/yaml_config.py
+++ b/commitizen/config/yaml_config.py
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ def init_empty_config_content(self) -> None:
     def contains_commitizen_section(self) -> bool:
         with self.path.open("rb") as yaml_file:
             config_doc = yaml.load(yaml_file, Loader=yaml.FullLoader)
-        return config_doc.get("commitizen") is not None
+        return config_doc is not None and config_doc.get("commitizen") is not None
 
     def _parse_setting(self, data: bytes | str) -> None:
         """We expect to have a section in cz.yaml looking like
diff --git a/tests/test_conf.py b/tests/test_conf.py
index 3b7937603..e558f6c39 100644
--- a/tests/test_conf.py
+++ b/tests/test_conf.py
@@ -242,6 +242,22 @@ def test_load_empty_pyproject_toml_from_config_argument(self, tmpdir):
             with pytest.raises(ConfigFileIsEmpty):
                 config.read_cfg(filepath="./not_in_root/pyproject.toml")
 
+    def test_load_empty_json_from_config_argument(self, tmpdir):
+        with tmpdir.as_cwd():
+            _not_root_path = tmpdir.mkdir("not_in_root").join(".cz.json")
+            _not_root_path.write("")
+
+            with pytest.raises(ConfigFileIsEmpty):
+                config.read_cfg(filepath="./not_in_root/.cz.json")
+
+    def test_load_empty_yaml_from_config_argument(self, tmpdir):
+        with tmpdir.as_cwd():
+            _not_root_path = tmpdir.mkdir("not_in_root").join(".cz.yaml")
+            _not_root_path.write("")
+
+            with pytest.raises(ConfigFileIsEmpty):
+                config.read_cfg(filepath="./not_in_root/.cz.yaml")
+
 
 class TestWarnMultipleConfigFiles:
     @pytest.mark.parametrize(