diff --git a/doom-modeline.el b/doom-modeline.el
index 1b3fbe7..720ab18 100644
--- a/doom-modeline.el
+++ b/doom-modeline.el
@@ -1034,8 +1034,9 @@ enabled."
 
 (doom-modeline-def-segment global
   "For the time string and whatever uses global-mode-string."
-  (when (< 0 (length global-mode-string))
-    '(" " global-mode-string "  ")))
+  (if (< 0 (length global-mode-string))
+      '(" " global-mode-string "  ")
+    ""))
 
 
 ;;