diff --git a/app/src/processing/app/ui/EditorConsole.java b/app/src/processing/app/ui/EditorConsole.java
index ec1aa665d..efa6ff5c7 100644
--- a/app/src/processing/app/ui/EditorConsole.java
+++ b/app/src/processing/app/ui/EditorConsole.java
@@ -44,10 +44,9 @@ import processing.app.Preferences;
  * Message console that sits below the editing area.
  */
 public class EditorConsole extends JScrollPane {
+  static final Color TRANSPARENT = new Color(0, 0, 0, 0);
+
   Editor editor;
-
-  Timer flushTimer;
-
   JTextPane consoleTextPane;
   BufferedStyledDocument consoleDoc;
 
@@ -62,6 +61,8 @@ public class EditorConsole extends JScrollPane {
 
   static EditorConsole current;
 
+  Timer flushTimer;
+
 
   public EditorConsole(Editor editor) {
     this.editor = editor;
@@ -146,7 +147,10 @@ public class EditorConsole extends JScrollPane {
 
     stdStyle = new SimpleAttributeSet();
     StyleConstants.setForeground(stdStyle, fgColorOut);
-    StyleConstants.setBackground(stdStyle, bgColor);
+    // Changed to TRANSPARENT because it causes trouble when changing
+    // the theme color. But it looks like it's not necessary to set it
+    // anyway, so removing the setBackground() call entirely.
+    //StyleConstants.setBackground(stdStyle, TRANSPARENT);  //bgColor);
     StyleConstants.setFontSize(stdStyle, font.getSize());
     StyleConstants.setFontFamily(stdStyle, font.getFamily());
     StyleConstants.setBold(stdStyle, font.isBold());
@@ -154,7 +158,7 @@ public class EditorConsole extends JScrollPane {
 
     errStyle = new SimpleAttributeSet();
     StyleConstants.setForeground(errStyle, fgColorErr);
-    StyleConstants.setBackground(errStyle, bgColor);
+    //StyleConstants.setBackground(stdStyle, TRANSPARENT);  //bgColor);
     StyleConstants.setFontSize(errStyle, font.getSize());
     StyleConstants.setFontFamily(errStyle, font.getFamily());
     StyleConstants.setBold(errStyle, font.isBold());
@@ -164,7 +168,7 @@ public class EditorConsole extends JScrollPane {
     if (lookAndFeel.equals("Nimbus") || lookAndFeel.equals("VAqua")) {
       getViewport().setBackground(bgColor);
       consoleTextPane.setOpaque(false);
-      consoleTextPane.setBackground(new Color(0, 0, 0, 0));
+      consoleTextPane.setBackground(TRANSPARENT);
     } else {
       consoleTextPane.setBackground(bgColor);
     }
diff --git a/todo.txt b/todo.txt
index fa727b560..3dbcf3093 100755
--- a/todo.txt
+++ b/todo.txt
@@ -53,8 +53,8 @@ X   generate footer icons
 _ finish debugging theme update
 X   update gutter colors on theme update
 X   update the mode selector colors
+X   remove background color from console text
 _   make sure repaint is happening
-_ try removing background color from console text
 _ line numbers extending into the horizontal scroll bar
 _ white corner on the scroll bar
 _ single line at top of editor (editor bg color?)