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Tennis icon Serena Williams has debunked speculations that she bleached her skin after a video showed that she now has a lighter skin tone.
In an Instagram Live session on Monday, December 2, Serena Williams, 43, shared insights into her makeup routine and directly responded to the speculations. “And no, for you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin,” she affirmed.
Williams attributed the differences in her skin tone to factors like lighting and the makeup she wore while volunteering at her daughter Olympia’s school play. “There is a thing called sunlight, and in that sunlight, you get different colors,” she explained.
Proud of her identity, Williams added, “I’m a dark Black woman, and I love who I am and how I look. That’s just not my thing.”
While she firmly denied the claims of skin bleaching, she acknowledged that some choose skin-lightening practices for personal reasons: “If people do it, that’s their thing, and they have every opportunity, and they should. I don’t judge. But no, I don’t bleach my skin. So can we just kind of clear that up?”
The video that fueled the chatter featured Serena Williams with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, during their time at Olympia’s school play. Social media responses varied, with some users speculating about chemical treatments while others defended her, suggesting that lighting and the absence of prolonged sun exposure contributed to her appearance.
Supporters expressed their thoughts, noting, “She’s retired from playing tennis in the sun, 12 hours a day. People are so weird and stupid,” and another remarked, “She ain’t bleaching; she just doesn’t know how to do her makeup.”
Williams further explained that her home’s golden bathroom wallpaper and lighting can also alter how her skin tone appears in different settings.
Note that Serena Williams retired from professional tennis after her final match at the 2022 US Open. She has an impressive record of 23 Grand Slam singles titles—just one shy of Margaret Court’s record of 24.
Even after her retirement, Williams remains actively engaged in public life, attending events and sharing moments with her husband and their two daughters, Olympia and Adira.
