diff --git a/tools/perf/util/hist.c b/tools/perf/util/hist.c
index 827c6cbcd05de9fd87e160d1f1002854cd6366b2..017eb5c42c37edffc0fb128207c21d40d9ba1587 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/hist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/hist.c
@@ -179,6 +179,9 @@ void hists__calc_col_len(struct hists *hists, struct hist_entry *h)
 	if (h->transaction)
 		hists__new_col_len(hists, HISTC_TRANSACTION,
 				   hist_entry__transaction_len());
+
+	if (h->trace_output)
+		hists__new_col_len(hists, HISTC_TRACE, strlen(h->trace_output));
 }
 
 void hists__output_recalc_col_len(struct hists *hists, int max_rows)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sort.c b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
index a7d73e503b1b79f0777a05892e66ce0c2fe80ad1..6d0f85894f38382a773c10c8ef786699d4214498 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sort.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
@@ -483,9 +483,6 @@ sort__trace_cmp(struct hist_entry *left, struct hist_entry *right)
 	if (right->trace_output == NULL)
 		right->trace_output = get_trace_output(right);
 
-	hists__new_col_len(left->hists, HISTC_TRACE, strlen(left->trace_output));
-	hists__new_col_len(right->hists, HISTC_TRACE, strlen(right->trace_output));
-
 	return strcmp(right->trace_output, left->trace_output);
 }