diff --git a/examples/subplots_axes_and_figures/subplots_demo.py b/examples/subplots_axes_and_figures/subplots_demo.py
index bbc8afa469fa..41b14dadd620 100644
--- a/examples/subplots_axes_and_figures/subplots_demo.py
+++ b/examples/subplots_axes_and_figures/subplots_demo.py
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@
 ax3.plot(x + 1, -y, 'tab:green')
 ax4.plot(x + 2, -y**2, 'tab:red')
 
-for ax in axs.flat:
+for ax in fig.get_axes():
     ax.label_outer()
 
 ###############################################################################