Serena Williams Faces Skin-Bleaching Accusations As Fans Question New Video

Jul 11, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Former tennis star Serena Williams arrives on the red carpet before hosting the 2024 ESPYS at Dolby Theatre. Kiyoshi Mio / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Serena Williams’ supporters are concerned.

Serena Williams recently took to social media to share a fun clip alongside her husband. Unfortunately, however, the clip has left some social media users concerned. The tennis star started trending on X today as users pointed out her skin tone in the clip, arguing that it looks much lighter than before.

“That’s really Serena Williams? Has she bleached her skin?” one user asks. “This what happens when you get with them rich white men,” someone else claims. While many commenters are pointing at alleged skin bleaching as the culprit for Williams’ seemingly lighter skin, others argue that there are plenty of other things that could be to blame. Several users argue that this could be a case of an incorrect makeup shade, poor lighting, or a filter. Others theorize that it could be due to Williams spending less time in the sun playing tennis than usual these days.

Social Media Users Think Serena Williams’ Skin Looks Lighter

At the time of writing, Williams has not addressed the skin-bleaching allegations. She’s far from the only celebrity who’s dealt with them, however. In August of this year, Cardi B was also accused of bleaching her skin but wasted zero time shutting down the allegations. According to her, she was anemic during her pregnancy with her third child. “Bleaching while pregnant😒😒😒? Why must yall be so d*mb? Actually NO! I’m pregnant I’m slightly anemic, this baby suckin all the energy off my body to the point I’m pale. Eyes sunken, veins green ASF, can’t tan under the sun cause I get hot super fast and dizzy…. PLEASE STOP THINKIN WITH YOUR A**HOLE,” she wrote.

Doja Cat has also fallen victim to these kinds of accusations, including in 2020. At the time, she didn’t hesitate to fire back. “Hey, how about I’m half white, not entirely Black?” she said. “My skin gets very light when I don’t tan. I was staying in doors a lot before that shoot. New f***ing subject. Dumba**es.”