No, Serena Williams doesn’t bleach her skin. During an Instagram Live on Monday (Dec. 2), the 23-time Grand Slam winner shut down claims that she intentionally altered her complexion to appear lighter.

While applying makeup using products from her very own WYN BEAUTY, Williams explained, “For you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin. There is a thing called sunlight, and in that sunlight, you get different colors.” The rumors began shortly after she posted a TikTok video with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their daughters, Olympia and Adira, at a school rehearsal.

“Yes, I’m calling you out on this because it is ridiculous,” the former tennis player continued. “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.”

“If people do it, that’s their thing. They have every opportunity, and they should. I don’t judge, but you guys do," she later clarified. “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 had an eventful 2024, to say the least. In July, she hosted the 32nd annual ESPY Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Wearing a stunning black gown from Giorgio Armani, the mother of two even danced to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” during the star-studded evening. “If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that none of us, not a single one of us, not even me, should ever pick a fight with Kendrick Lamar,” she joked.

Later that month, ESPN premiered the first episode of "In the Arena: Serena Williams." The eight-part series gave viewers an “intimate and compelling account” of the sports icon’s life and career, which notably includes several Olympic gold medals and U.S. Open titles.