diff --git a/src/core/ext/client_channel/subchannel.c b/src/core/ext/client_channel/subchannel.c
index 86a19d99ba7..f55fa60f913 100644
--- a/src/core/ext/client_channel/subchannel.c
+++ b/src/core/ext/client_channel/subchannel.c
@@ -620,9 +620,8 @@ static void publish_transport_locked(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx,
   grpc_error *error = grpc_channel_stack_builder_finish(
       exec_ctx, builder, 0, 1, connection_destroy, NULL, (void **)&con);
   if (error != GRPC_ERROR_NONE) {
-    const char *msg = grpc_error_string(error);
-    gpr_log(GPR_ERROR, "error initializing subchannel stack: %s", msg);
-    grpc_error_free_string(msg);
+    gpr_log(GPR_ERROR, "error initializing subchannel stack: %s",
+            grpc_error_string(error));
     GRPC_ERROR_UNREF(error);
     abort(); /* TODO(ctiller): what to do here? */
   }
diff --git a/src/core/lib/surface/channel.c b/src/core/lib/surface/channel.c
index f2708fdf430..1ef023ed628 100644
--- a/src/core/lib/surface/channel.c
+++ b/src/core/lib/surface/channel.c
@@ -102,9 +102,8 @@ grpc_channel *grpc_channel_create(grpc_exec_ctx *exec_ctx, const char *target,
       exec_ctx, builder, sizeof(grpc_channel), 1, destroy_channel, NULL,
       (void **)&channel);
   if (error != GRPC_ERROR_NONE) {
-    const char *msg = grpc_error_string(error);
-    gpr_log(GPR_ERROR, "channel stack builder failed: %s", msg);
-    grpc_error_free_string(msg);
+    gpr_log(GPR_ERROR, "channel stack builder failed: %s",
+            grpc_error_string(error));
     GRPC_ERROR_UNREF(error);
     goto done;
   }