diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index 2c496dd22ed..9ac4c9237d0 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@ What's New in Python 3.3.1?
 
 .. *Release date: 2013-XX-XX*
 
+Build
+-----
+
+- Issue #17550: Fix the --enable-profiling configure switch.
+
 Core and Builtins
 -----------------
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index fa8d5187834..d3214abb8ca 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -5532,7 +5532,7 @@ fi
 
 if test "x$enable_profiling" = xyes; then
   ac_save_cc="$CC"
-  CC="$(CC) -pg"
+  CC="$CC -pg"
   cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
 /* end confdefs.h.  */
 int main() { return 0; }
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 8cf0e9251b7..6d54b162c90 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -883,7 +883,7 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(profiling,
               AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-profiling], [enable C-level code profiling]))
 if test "x$enable_profiling" = xyes; then
   ac_save_cc="$CC"
-  CC="$(CC) -pg"
+  CC="$CC -pg"
   AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_SOURCE([[int main() { return 0; }]])],
     [],
     [enable_profiling=no])