Tennis legend Serena Williams fired back at accusations she had been bleaching her skin on Monday in an Instagram Live video.
The allegations popped up after the 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion shared a video of herself at a school event with her husband and two children, according to People magazine.
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Serena Williams arrives on the red carpet before the Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games along the Seine River in Paris on July 26, 2024. (James Lang-USA TODAY Sports)
“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,” Williams said in the video. “There is a thing called sunlight, and in that sunlight, you get different colors.”
Williams said she was wearing “stage makeup” when she filmed the video that sparked the remarks.
“Yes, I’m calling you out on this because it is ridiculous,” she added. “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.”
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Serena Williams at the Western and Southern Open beat Samantha Stosur on Center Court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014. (The Enquirer/Cara Owsley)
Williams said she does not judge those who do bleach their skin.
“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?”
Williams has fully embraced retirement in recent years but has had some serious issues to deal with.
The 43-year-old revealed in October she had a massive cyst removed from her neck.
Serena Williams watches the men’s singles gold medal match with IOC President Thomas Bach during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros in Paris on Aug. 4, 2024. (Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports)
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“It kinda hurt coming out. Obviously, I went under for it, but they had to put a drain in it because it was so much,” she said in a TikTok video. “But everything worked out, and I feel really happy to have worked with some great doctors.”
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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