diff --git a/src/pipecat/services/gemini_multimodal_live/events.py b/src/pipecat/services/gemini_multimodal_live/events.py
index c8530b7ee..0b4059830 100644
--- a/src/pipecat/services/gemini_multimodal_live/events.py
+++ b/src/pipecat/services/gemini_multimodal_live/events.py
@@ -487,13 +487,13 @@ def parse_server_event(str):
         ServerEvent instance if parsing succeeds, None otherwise.
     """
     try:
-        evt_dict = json.loads(message_str)
+        evt_dict = json.loads(str)
         evt = ServerEvent.model_validate(evt_dict)
         return evt
     except Exception as e:
         logger.error(f"Error parsing server event: {e}")
         # Truncate raw message to avoid logging potentially sensitive or overly long data
-        truncated_message = message_str[:200] + "..." if len(message_str) > 200 else message_str
+        truncated_message = str[:200] + "..." if len(str) > 200 else str
         logger.error(f"Raw message (truncated): {truncated_message}")
         return None