diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-c2c.c b/tools/perf/builtin-c2c.c
index 160b82694d39..bc16a57e0927 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-c2c.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-c2c.c
@@ -229,7 +229,6 @@ he__get_c2c_hists(struct hist_entry *he,
 
 	ret = c2c_hists__init(hists, sort, nr_header_lines, env);
 	if (ret) {
-		perf_hpp__reset_output_field(&hists->list);
 		c2c_he->hists = NULL;
 		free(hists);
 		return NULL;
@@ -2147,6 +2146,8 @@ static int c2c_hists__init(struct c2c_hists *hists,
 			   int nr_header_lines,
 			   struct perf_env *env)
 {
+	int ret;
+
 	__hists__init(&hists->hists, &hists->list);
 
 	/*
@@ -2159,7 +2160,13 @@ static int c2c_hists__init(struct c2c_hists *hists,
 	/* Overload number of header lines.*/
 	hists->list.nr_header_lines = nr_header_lines;
 
-	return hpp_list__parse(&hists->list, /*output=*/NULL, sort, env);
+	ret = hpp_list__parse(&hists->list, /*output=*/NULL, sort, env);
+
+	/* Unregister any formats added before the failure point */
+	if (ret)
+		perf_hpp__reset_output_field(&hists->list);
+
+	return ret;
 }
 
 static int c2c_hists__reinit(struct c2c_hists *c2c_hists,
@@ -2167,8 +2174,16 @@ static int c2c_hists__reinit(struct c2c_hists *c2c_hists,
 			     const char *sort,
 			     struct perf_env *env)
 {
+	int ret;
+
 	perf_hpp__reset_output_field(&c2c_hists->list);
-	return hpp_list__parse(&c2c_hists->list, output, sort, env);
+	ret = hpp_list__parse(&c2c_hists->list, output, sort, env);
+
+	/* Unregister any formats added before the failure point */
+	if (ret)
+		perf_hpp__reset_output_field(&c2c_hists->list);
+
+	return ret;
 }
 
 #define DISPLAY_LINE_LIMIT  0.001