diff --git a/django/utils/text.py b/django/utils/text.py
index d277cee56b4..9e0afad47b5 100644
--- a/django/utils/text.py
+++ b/django/utils/text.py
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ def javascript_quote(s, quote_double_quotes=False):
     s = s.replace('</', '<\\/')
     if quote_double_quotes:
         s = s.replace('"', '&quot;')
-    return str(ustring_re.sub(fix, s))
+    return ustring_re.sub(fix, s)
 javascript_quote = allow_lazy(javascript_quote, six.text_type)
 
 # Expression to match some_token and some_token="with spaces" (and similarly
diff --git a/tests/utils_tests/test_text.py b/tests/utils_tests/test_text.py
index bf547b62d25..4911cac908c 100644
--- a/tests/utils_tests/test_text.py
+++ b/tests/utils_tests/test_text.py
@@ -155,3 +155,8 @@ class TestUtilsText(SimpleTestCase):
         self.assertEqual(text.javascript_quote(input), '"Text"')
         self.assertEqual(text.javascript_quote(input, quote_double_quotes=True),
                          '&quot;Text&quot;')
+
+    def test_javascript_quote_unicode(self):
+        input = "<script>alert('Hello \\xff.\n Wel𝕃come\there\r');</script>"
+        output = r"<script>alert(\'Hello \\xff.\n Wel𝕃come\there\r\');<\/script>"
+        self.assertEqual(text.javascript_quote(input), output)