Serena Williams responds to skin bleaching accusations in viral video

Serena Williams has responded after a recent video sparked controversy, claiming the 23-time Grand Slam champion is bleaching her skin.

The rumors started circulating after Williams recently shared a video of herself at a school event for her daughter.

She addressed the speculation while delivering a makeup tutorial for her Wyn Beauty brand on Instagram Live on Monday (December 2).

“Then I put that neutral color. It’s actually my skin tone, and no, for the haters, I don’t bleach my skin,” Williams began. “There’s something called sunlight, and in the sunlight, you get different colors.”

Williams directly responded to the viral video’s claims, explaining that she wore “stage makeup” while volunteering at her daughter’s play.

“Yeah, I’m going to speak out because this is ridiculous,” Williams said before sharing her pride in her skin color.

“Everyone is like, ‘Oh, she bleached her skin.’ I’m a dark black woman and I love myself and I love the way I look,” she continued.

While Williams says skin bleaching is “not my thing,” she acknowledges that others do it and shouldn’t be judged for it.

“If people do it, that’s their business, they have every opportunity and they should do it. I don’t judge, but you do,” she added. “But that’s what this world is about, I stay in my lane – the non-judgmental lane, I stick to it. But no, I’m not actually going to bleach my skin, so can we fix that?