Here’s How Serena Williams Responded To Those Viral Rumors That She Bleaches Her Skin

Last week, a video of Serena Williams went viral on X as internet users accused her of bleaching her skin.

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In the video, which was shared by Serena herself, the tennis star was joined by her husband, Alexis Ohanian.

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Numerous internet users quickly speculated that Serena had altered her skin tone — something that, sadly, she has been accused of many times over the years.

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Back in 2021, for example, the star deleted an Instagram picture amid rife speculation that she’d purposefully lightened her complexion.

Now, Serena has addressed the rumors head-on.

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While doing her makeup during an Instagram Live, Serena hit back at the “haters” who have accused her of skin bleaching.

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“And then I put just that neutral color, that is actually my skin color… And no, for you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin,” she said.

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“There is a thing called sunlight, and in that sunlight, you get different colors,” she said.

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Serena went on to note that in the aforementioned viral video with Alexis, she was wearing “stage makeup” while volunteering at her daughter’s play.

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“I’m calling you out on this because it is ridiculous,” she said as she addressed viewers.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, she bleached her skin.’ I’m a dark, Black woman, and I love who I am, and I love how I look,” she continued.

“And if people do it, that’s their thing, and they have every opportunity and they should. I don’t judge, but you guys do,” she said.

“But that’s what this world is about, and I stay in my lane — the non-judgy one — and I keep it. But no, I actually don’t bleach my skin, so can we just kinda clear that up?” she added.

Well, there we have it. Can you think of other times celebs were forced to shut down skin-bleaching accusations? I’ll go first: A few months ago, Cardi B hit back at claims that she’d bleached her skin while pregnant. Feel free to drop more examples down below.