diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/core/dataframe.py b/python/cudf/cudf/core/dataframe.py
index 4982b75f753..0acb1b0d801 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/core/dataframe.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/core/dataframe.py
@@ -2666,11 +2666,6 @@ def diff(self, periods=1, axis=0):
         if axis != 0:
             raise NotImplementedError("Only axis=0 is supported.")
 
-        if not all(is_numeric_dtype(i) for i in self.dtypes):
-            raise NotImplementedError(
-                "DataFrame.diff only supports numeric dtypes"
-            )
-
         if abs(periods) > len(self):
             df = cudf.DataFrame._from_data(
                 {
diff --git a/python/cudf/cudf/core/series.py b/python/cudf/cudf/core/series.py
index b1ee9e99dfb..85b91cce61b 100644
--- a/python/cudf/cudf/core/series.py
+++ b/python/cudf/cudf/core/series.py
@@ -3045,27 +3045,7 @@ def diff(self, periods=1):
                 "Diff currently requires columns with no null values"
             )
 
-        if not np.issubdtype(self.dtype, np.number):
-            raise NotImplementedError(
-                "Diff currently only supports numeric dtypes"
-            )
-
-        # TODO: move this libcudf
-        input_col = self._column
-        output_col = column_empty_like(input_col)
-        output_mask = column_empty_like(input_col, dtype="bool")
-        if output_col.size > 0:
-            cudautils.gpu_diff.forall(output_col.size)(
-                input_col, output_col, output_mask, periods
-            )
-
-        output_col = column.build_column(
-            data=output_col.data,
-            dtype=output_col.dtype,
-            mask=bools_to_mask(output_mask),
-        )
-
-        return Series(output_col, name=self.name, index=self.index)
+        return self - self.shift(periods=periods)
 
     @copy_docstring(SeriesGroupBy)
     @_cudf_nvtx_annotate