Alexis Ohanian Has An Epic Response For ‘Idiots’ Who Accuse Wife Serena Williams Of Bleaching

By Fiyin Olowokandi on January 8, 2026 at 2:30 PM EST

Serena Williams & Alexis Ohanian Attends The Game Changers Screening
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Alexis Ohanian did not hesitate to fire back at critics who accused his wife, Serena Williams, of bleaching. 

The entrepreneur defended his wife’s looks and slammed the critics for not understanding how lighting works in pictures. 

Williams herself also spoke out over the bleaching allegations and outrightly denied doing anything to alter the color of her skin. 

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Alexis Ohanian Slams Haters For Coming After Serena Williams

Alexis Ohanian on the red carpet
Loomelic Media

The drama unfolded after Williams took to X to share heartwarming photos of her family at her sister, Venus Williams’ wedding.

In the images, the tennis legend was captured dressed in a chic white number as she crouched next to her husband and two children. Two-year-old Adira and eight-year-old Olympia also made the cut, dressed in matching light blue dresses. 

Williams wrote in the caption, “Joy does not always roar, sometimes it whispers. [It’s] important to savor those sweet moments… I love this picture, so I wanted to share it with you.”

When users in the comment section began to accuse the tennis legend of bleaching her skin, Ohanian quoted the picture with the comment, “Where are all the comments from idiots who don’t understand how photography lighting works.”

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A critic replied to his tweet, writing, “Alexis wants Black people to believe we don’t know what photography lighting looks like vs blatant skin lightening.”

However, he clapped back, writing, “Or: photos from the same event can look different based on lighting.”

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Serena Williams Previously Denied Skin Bleaching Rumors

This is not the first time the Golden Slam winner has been accused of bleaching her skin. In early December 2025, Williams openly addressed the bleaching allegations, making it clear that she has done nothing to change the color of her skin. 

According to PEOPLE Magazine, the 44-year-old athlete was in the process of recording a makeup tutorial for her brand, Wyn Beauty, when she brought the topic up. 

“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… There is a thing called sunlight, and in that sunlight, you get different colors,” she said as she applied her makeup. 

Williams made it clear that she is proud of her skin color, the way it is, and called the bleaching allegations “ridiculous.”

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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.” 

Williams also made it clear that while she holds no judgment against people who decide to bleach their skin, bleaching is just not her thing. 

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Williams Opened Up About Working On Her Body In The Past

Serena Williams at BottleRock Music Festival 2025
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

While Williams firmly denied the bleaching rumors, she has always been open about the work she has done on her body. 

In June, she revealed that she underwent a radio frequency treatment in Paris to tighten her stomach. She shared a video of herself lying on a table while the device was being used on her.

In the caption, she revealed that she has always been “self-conscious” of her tummy and decided to do something about it as soon as she got time away from the kids and from work.

The Grand Slam Champion Also Cleared The Air About Her Return To Tennis

Serena Williams poses on the red carpet at the 2024 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles
River / MEGA

Bleaching isn’t the only thing Williams has had to address recently. She also had to clear the air about whether or not she was pausing her retirement to return to tennis. 

According to The Blast, last month she took to X to shut down the claims, writing, “Omg y'all I'm NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”

Despite rumors that Williams had reportedly applied to reenter the testing pool, she made it clear that she had no intentions of coming back, much to the heartbreak of many fans. 

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How Serena Williams Is Navigating Life Beyond Tennis

Serena Williams at The US Open Tennis Championship
Peter van den Berg / Avalon Newscom/ MEGA

Before Williams cleared the air on her return to tennis, she opened up about entering a new phase of self-discovery away from the court.

The athlete described herself as the “most non-serious person” she knows because she’s “always making the jokes.” She also revealed that she has often relied on humor during uncomfortable moments, per The Blast.

Williams explained that in tennis, she has had to “keep a veil up” and not be too vulnerable to people. However, now that she is staying away from competition, she is slowly discovering parts of herself that were long hidden.

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