diff --git a/plugins/emoji/assets/javascripts/emoji.js.erb b/plugins/emoji/assets/javascripts/emoji.js.erb
index b85ab8b65..8e3ce3600 100644
--- a/plugins/emoji/assets/javascripts/emoji.js.erb
+++ b/plugins/emoji/assets/javascripts/emoji.js.erb
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
     } else {
       var replacement = translations[t];
       Discourse.Dialect.inlineReplace(t, function (token, match, prev) {
-        if (!Discourse.SiteSettings.enable_emoji) { return; }
+        if (!Discourse.SiteSettings.enable_emoji) { return token; }
         return checkPrev(prev) ? imageFor(replacement) : token;
       });
     }