diff --git a/src/utils/channel_utils.js b/src/utils/channel_utils.js
index 1487d3002..f1eef21d1 100644
--- a/src/utils/channel_utils.js
+++ b/src/utils/channel_utils.js
@@ -70,7 +70,9 @@ export function completeDirectChannelInfo(usersState, teammateNameDisplay, chann
         const teammateId = getUserIdFromChannelName(usersState.currentUserId, channel.name);
 
         return Object.assign(dmChannelClone, {
-            display_name: displayUsername(usersState.profiles[teammateId], teammateNameDisplay),
+
+            // return empty string instead of `someone` default string for display_name
+            display_name: displayUsername(usersState.profiles[teammateId], teammateNameDisplay, false),
             teammate_id: teammateId,
             status: usersState.statuses[teammateId] || 'offline',
         });