diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c b/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
index 3fe0de03004d72a454ad92e95c1578e5b9422a58..56ba71658d70a49425a29bde6d8a9166f16f4b84 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
@@ -104,14 +104,14 @@ process_sample_event(event_t *event, unsigned long offset, unsigned long head)
 		event->ip.pid,
 		(void *)(long)ip);
 
-	dump_printf(" ... thread: %s:%d\n", thread->comm, thread->pid);
-
 	if (thread == NULL) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "problem processing %d event, skipping it.\n",
 			event->header.type);
 		return -1;
 	}
 
+	dump_printf(" ... thread: %s:%d\n", thread->comm, thread->pid);
+
 	if (event->header.misc & PERF_RECORD_MISC_KERNEL) {
 		level = 'k';
 		sym = kernel_maps__find_symbol(ip, &map);
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
index 015c79745966970a812a0d6c0088d9d45a886dbb..a4f8cc20915138250c288787205dd23f4b187cbb 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
@@ -629,14 +629,14 @@ process_sample_event(event_t *event, unsigned long offset, unsigned long head)
 		}
 	}
 
-	dump_printf(" ... thread: %s:%d\n", thread->comm, thread->pid);
-
 	if (thread == NULL) {
 		eprintf("problem processing %d event, skipping it.\n",
 			event->header.type);
 		return -1;
 	}
 
+	dump_printf(" ... thread: %s:%d\n", thread->comm, thread->pid);
+
 	if (comm_list && !strlist__has_entry(comm_list, thread->comm))
 		return 0;
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c b/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
index c9c68563e964e6fd5e9bbd836743ce16d3d445a9..57ad3f458ef58a45fce40467c0a9df429679fe23 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
@@ -1667,14 +1667,14 @@ process_sample_event(event_t *event, unsigned long offset, unsigned long head)
 		(void *)(long)ip,
 		(long long)period);
 
-	dump_printf(" ... thread: %s:%d\n", thread->comm, thread->pid);
-
 	if (thread == NULL) {
 		eprintf("problem processing %d event, skipping it.\n",
 			event->header.type);
 		return -1;
 	}
 
+	dump_printf(" ... thread: %s:%d\n", thread->comm, thread->pid);
+
 	if (profile_cpu != -1 && profile_cpu != (int) cpu)
 		return 0;
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
index ce8459ac28457fd6b995ce33edd17596683a8a6a..4c129ff0bb162c10d7256c56253078b56b99998d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
@@ -80,14 +80,14 @@ process_sample_event(event_t *event, unsigned long offset, unsigned long head)
 		(void *)(long)ip,
 		(long long)period);
 
-	dump_printf(" ... thread: %s:%d\n", thread->comm, thread->pid);
-
 	if (thread == NULL) {
 		eprintf("problem processing %d event, skipping it.\n",
 			event->header.type);
 		return -1;
 	}
 
+	dump_printf(" ... thread: %s:%d\n", thread->comm, thread->pid);
+
 	if (sample_type & PERF_SAMPLE_RAW) {
 		struct {
 			u32 size;