diff --git a/endpoints/getting-started/clients/google-jwt-client.py b/endpoints/getting-started/clients/google-jwt-client.py
index 533816c6082..853ea85da48 100644
--- a/endpoints/getting-started/clients/google-jwt-client.py
+++ b/endpoints/getting-started/clients/google-jwt-client.py
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ def generate_jwt(sa_keyfile,
 def make_jwt_request(signed_jwt, url='https://your-endpoint.com'):
     """Makes an authorized request to the endpoint"""
     headers = {
-        'Authorization': 'Bearer {}'.format(signed_jwt),
+        'Authorization': 'Bearer {}'.format(signed_jwt.decode('utf-8')),
         'content-type': 'application/json'
     }
     response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)