diff --git a/src/core/plugins/samples/fn.js b/src/core/plugins/samples/fn.js
index 30e74132..d7fa8cad 100644
--- a/src/core/plugins/samples/fn.js
+++ b/src/core/plugins/samples/fn.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { objectify, isFunc, normalizeArray } from "core/utils"
+import { objectify, isFunc, normalizeArray, deeplyStripKey } from "core/utils"
 import XML from "xml"
 import memoizee from "memoizee"
 
@@ -29,13 +29,14 @@ export const sampleFromSchema = (schema, config={}) => {
   let { type, example, properties, additionalProperties, items } = objectify(schema)
   let { includeReadOnly, includeWriteOnly } = config
 
-  if(example && example.$$ref) {
-    delete example.$$ref
+  if(example !== undefined) {
+    return deeplyStripKey(example, "$$ref", (val) => {
+      // do a couple of quick sanity tests to ensure the value
+      // looks like a $$ref that swagger-client generates.
+      return typeof val === "string" && val.indexOf("#") > -1
+    })
   }
 
-  if(example !== undefined)
-    return example
-
   if(!type) {
     if(properties) {
       type = "object"
diff --git a/src/core/utils.js b/src/core/utils.js
index 08450e73..913801ce 100644
--- a/src/core/utils.js
+++ b/src/core/utils.js
@@ -712,3 +712,25 @@ export const createDeepLinkPath = (str) => typeof str == "string" || str instanc
 export const escapeDeepLinkPath = (str) => cssEscape( createDeepLinkPath(str) )
 
 export const getExtensions = (defObj) => defObj.filter((v, k) => /^x-/.test(k))
+
+// Deeply strips a specific key from an object.
+//
+// `predicate` can be used to discriminate the stripping further,
+// by preserving the key's place in the object based on its value.
+export function deeplyStripKey(input, keyToStrip, predicate = () => true) {
+  if(typeof input !== "object" || Array.isArray(input) || !keyToStrip) {
+    return input
+  }
+
+  const obj = Object.assign({}, input)
+
+  Object.keys(obj).forEach(k => {
+    if(k === keyToStrip && predicate(obj[k], k)) {
+      delete obj[k]
+      return
+    }
+    obj[k] = deeplyStripKey(obj[k], keyToStrip, predicate)
+  })
+
+  return obj
+}
diff --git a/test/components/model-example.js b/test/components/model-example.js
index f4225c30..eb8c8a27 100644
--- a/test/components/model-example.js
+++ b/test/components/model-example.js
@@ -6,23 +6,8 @@ import ModelExample from "components/model-example"
 import ModelComponent from "components/model-wrapper"
 
 describe("<ModelExample/>", function(){
-  // Given
-  let components = {
-    ModelWrapper: ModelComponent
-  }
-  let props = {
-    getComponent: (c) => {
-        return components[c]
-    },
-    specSelectors: {},
-    schema: {},
-    example: "{\"example\": \"value\"}",
-    isExecute: false,
-    getConfigs: () => ({
-      defaultModelRendering: "model",
-      defaultModelExpandDepth: 1
-    })
-  }
+  let components, props
+  
   let exampleSelectedTestInputs = [
     { defaultModelRendering: "model", isExecute: true },
     { defaultModelRendering: "example", isExecute: true },
@@ -30,10 +15,31 @@ describe("<ModelExample/>", function(){
     { defaultModelRendering: "othervalue", isExecute: true },
     { defaultModelRendering: "othervalue", isExecute: false }
   ]
+  
   let modelSelectedTestInputs = [
     { defaultModelRendering: "model", isExecute: false }
   ]
 
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    components = {
+      ModelWrapper: ModelComponent
+    }
+    
+    props = {
+      getComponent: (c) => {
+          return components[c]
+      },
+      specSelectors: {},
+      schema: {},
+      example: "{\"example\": \"value\"}",
+      isExecute: false,
+      getConfigs: () => ({
+        defaultModelRendering: "model",
+        defaultModelExpandDepth: 1
+      })
+    }
+  })
+
 
   it("renders model and example tabs", function(){
     // When
diff --git a/test/core/plugins/samples/fn.js b/test/core/plugins/samples/fn.js
index 5a969d9c..65fdd141 100644
--- a/test/core/plugins/samples/fn.js
+++ b/test/core/plugins/samples/fn.js
@@ -100,6 +100,92 @@ describe("sampleFromSchema", function() {
     expect(sampleFromSchema(definition, { includeWriteOnly: true })).toEqual(expected)
   })
 
+  it("returns object without any $$ref fields at the root schema level", function () {
+    var definition = {
+    type: "object",
+    properties: {
+      message: {
+        type: "string"
+      }
+    },
+    example: {
+      value: {
+        message: "Hello, World!"
+      },
+      $$ref: "#/components/examples/WelcomeExample"
+    },
+    $$ref: "#/components/schemas/Welcome"
+  }
+
+    var expected = {
+      "value": {
+        "message": "Hello, World!"
+      }
+    }
+
+    expect(sampleFromSchema(definition, { includeWriteOnly: true })).toEqual(expected)
+  })
+
+  it("returns object without any $$ref fields at nested schema levels", function () {
+    var definition = {
+      type: "object",
+      properties: {
+        message: {
+          type: "string"
+        }
+      },
+      example: {
+        a: {
+          value: {
+            message: "Hello, World!"
+          },
+          $$ref: "#/components/examples/WelcomeExample"
+        }
+      },
+      $$ref: "#/components/schemas/Welcome"
+    }
+
+    var expected = {
+      a: {
+        "value": {
+          "message": "Hello, World!"
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    expect(sampleFromSchema(definition, { includeWriteOnly: true })).toEqual(expected)
+  })
+
+  it("returns object with any $$ref fields that appear to be user-created", function () {
+    var definition = {
+      type: "object",
+      properties: {
+        message: {
+          type: "string"
+        }
+      },
+      example: {
+        $$ref: {
+          value: {
+            message: "Hello, World!"
+          },
+          $$ref: "#/components/examples/WelcomeExample"
+        }
+      },
+      $$ref: "#/components/schemas/Welcome"
+    }
+
+    var expected = {
+      $$ref: {
+        "value": {
+          "message": "Hello, World!"
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    expect(sampleFromSchema(definition, { includeWriteOnly: true })).toEqual(expected)
+  })
+
   describe("for array type", function() {
     it("returns array with sample of array type", function() {
       var definition = {
@@ -108,12 +194,12 @@ describe("sampleFromSchema", function() {
           type: "integer"
         }
       }
-  
+
       var expected = [ 0 ]
-  
+
       expect(sampleFromSchema(definition)).toEqual(expected)
     })
-    
+
     it("returns array of examples for array that has example", function() {
       var definition = {
         type: "array",
@@ -122,9 +208,9 @@ describe("sampleFromSchema", function() {
         },
         example: "dog"
       }
-  
+
       var expected = [ "dog" ]
-  
+
       expect(sampleFromSchema(definition)).toEqual(expected)
     })
 
@@ -132,16 +218,16 @@ describe("sampleFromSchema", function() {
       var definition = {
         type: "array",
         items: {
-          type: "string",          
+          type: "string",
         },
         example: [ "dog", "cat" ]
       }
-  
+
       var expected = [ "dog", "cat" ]
-  
+
       expect(sampleFromSchema(definition)).toEqual(expected)
     })
-    
+
     it("returns array of samples for oneOf type", function() {
       var definition = {
         type: "array",
@@ -154,9 +240,9 @@ describe("sampleFromSchema", function() {
           ]
         }
       }
-  
+
       var expected = [ 0 ]
-  
+
       expect(sampleFromSchema(definition)).toEqual(expected)
     })
 
@@ -175,9 +261,9 @@ describe("sampleFromSchema", function() {
           ]
         }
       }
-  
+
       var expected = [ "string", 0 ]
-  
+
       expect(sampleFromSchema(definition)).toEqual(expected)
     })
 
@@ -198,12 +284,12 @@ describe("sampleFromSchema", function() {
           ]
         }
       }
-  
+
       var expected = [ "dog", 1 ]
-  
+
       expect(sampleFromSchema(definition)).toEqual(expected)
     })
-    
+
     it("returns array of samples for anyOf type", function() {
       var definition = {
         type: "array",
@@ -216,9 +302,9 @@ describe("sampleFromSchema", function() {
           ]
         }
       }
-  
+
       var expected = [ 0 ]
-  
+
       expect(sampleFromSchema(definition)).toEqual(expected)
     })
 
@@ -237,9 +323,9 @@ describe("sampleFromSchema", function() {
           ]
         }
       }
-  
+
       var expected = [ "string", 0 ]
-  
+
       expect(sampleFromSchema(definition)).toEqual(expected)
     })
 
@@ -260,9 +346,9 @@ describe("sampleFromSchema", function() {
           ]
         }
       }
-  
+
       var expected = [ "dog", 1 ]
-  
+
       expect(sampleFromSchema(definition)).toEqual(expected)
     })
   })
diff --git a/test/core/utils.js b/test/core/utils.js
index 99ee60d4..1c6b2beb 100644
--- a/test/core/utils.js
+++ b/test/core/utils.js
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ import {
   createDeepLinkPath,
   escapeDeepLinkPath,
   sanitizeUrl,
-  extractFileNameFromContentDispositionHeader
+  extractFileNameFromContentDispositionHeader,
+  deeplyStripKey
 } from "core/utils"
 import win from "core/window"
 
@@ -942,6 +943,58 @@ describe("utils", function() {
     })
   })
 
+  describe("deeplyStripKey", function() {
+    it("should filter out a specified key", function() {
+      const input = {
+        $$ref: "#/this/is/my/ref",
+        a: {
+          $$ref: "#/this/is/my/other/ref",
+          value: 12345
+        }
+      }
+      const result = deeplyStripKey(input, "$$ref")
+      expect(result).toEqual({
+        a: {
+          value: 12345
+        }
+      })
+    })
+
+    it("should filter out a specified key by predicate", function() {
+      const input = {
+        $$ref: "#/this/is/my/ref",
+        a: {
+          $$ref: "#/keep/this/one",
+          value: 12345
+        }
+      }
+      const result = deeplyStripKey(input, "$$ref", (v) => v !== "#/keep/this/one")
+      expect(result).toEqual({
+        a: {
+          value: 12345,
+          $$ref: "#/keep/this/one"
+        }
+      })
+    })
+
+    it("should only call the predicate when the key matches", function() {
+      const input = {
+        $$ref: "#/this/is/my/ref",
+        a: {
+          $$ref: "#/this/is/my/other/ref",
+          value: 12345
+        }
+      }
+      let count = 0
+
+      const result = deeplyStripKey(input, "$$ref", () => {
+        count++
+        return true
+      })
+      expect(count).toEqual(2)
+    })
+  })
+
   describe("parse and serialize search", function() {
     afterEach(function() {
       win.location.search = ""