Serena Williams’ Husband Goes Off After Trolls Accuse Her of Bleaching Her Skin to ‘Appear Like a White Woman’
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian is shutting down people pushing false narratives about his wife, Serena Williams.
In the last few weeks, the retired professional tennis player and her family recently took family photos at a wedding for her sister, Venus, who recently tied the knot with her new husband.
However, the loving moment soured after critics accused Serena of altering her look, claiming her blonde hair and lighter skin tone made her appear closer to a white woman than the athlete fans are used to seeing.
‘I Love How I Look’: Serena Williams Fires Back at ‘Haters’ Over Skin Bleaching Rumors After Years of Criticism About Her Appearance
On Jan. 6, Williams posted new photographs of her posing with Ohanian, 42, alongside their two daughters, 8-year-old Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. and 1-year-old Adira River Ohanian.
“Joy does not always roar, sometimes it whispers. It [is] important to savor those sweet moments… I love this picture, so I wanted to share it with you,” Williams, 44, captioned the two pics uploaded to X.
Around 23 minutes later, Ohanian seemed to have caught wind of some harsh comments about his wife.
One critic said, “Ur black wearing a blonde wig instead of embracing ur kicky hair? are u ashamed of ur hair? ur pathetic,” while another leaned in, “Yo a– is BAT SHIT INSANE that [weave] doesn’t make you appear like a white woman. You’re black wear your hair with pride. Ridiculous.”
But according to Williams’ husband, there was a reason for her lighter skin tone. “Where are all the comments from idiots who don’t understand how photography lighting works?” he replied.
One fellow X user accused him of gaslighting his Black followers, writing, “Alexis wants Black people to believe we don’t know what photography lighting looks like vs blatant skin lightening.”
Without missing a beat, Ohanian was ready to respond to the internet troll targeting Serena as he fired back, “Or: photos from the same event can look different based on lighting.”
His response went viral as Instagram blogs picked up the story. In particular, the Jasmine Brand account posted a screenshot of his defense of the legendary female athlete against the agitator.
The page’s comment section filled up with fans applauding Ohanian for unapologetically going to bat for Williams. For instance, one person proclaimed, “Listen, Alexis DOES NOT play about his wife.”
“He stays 10 toes behind his wife, and I love that for her!” a second commenter expressed. Additionally, a Serena supporter asked, “The thing is, even if she was [bleaching her skin]: now what?”
A less supportive individual on the app wondered, “Ummmm, but is it true? Because it certainly looks like she did.” Another skeptical comment read, “We have eyes, Alexis!”
However, Ohanian earned more praise for constantly standing up for Williams when someone wrote, “I was so happy when he checked Stephen A. Smith for talking about his wife. He had that man stuttering.”
In February 2025, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith called out Williams for making a cameo during Kendrick Lamar’s record-breaking Super Bowl LIX halftime show during a segment where the rapper performed his Drake diss track “Not Like Us.”
Smith, 58, said on-air that he would divorce his wife if she took part in a televised performance that targeted her ex-boyfriend.
Ohanian brought the issue directly to the set of ESPN’s “First Take” program in October, though Smith appeared from a remote location that day. The lighthearted moment included Ohanian jokingly checking the outspoken sports analyst for offering him unsolicited marriage counseling.
“You hadn’t been married before, right?” Ohanian asked Smith. “’Cause I give advice to plenty of founders who want to build billion-dollar companies. And the reason I do that is because I build billion-dollar companies.”
Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian wanted to see Stephen A. Smith face to face on First Take, after Stephen said Serena should go back to dating Drake after dancing at Kendrick’s Super Bowl halftime📍pic.twitter.com/7ifr7jck1n
— SOUND | Victor Baez (@itsavibe) October 13, 2025
As far as the allegations of bleaching that have repeatedly surfaced online about Williams, the former world No. 1-ranked women’s tennis player herself dismissed those claims in December 2024.
“I got back for a third time, and then I just put that neutral color, that is actually my skin color, and no, for you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin,” Williams declared during an Instagram Live session.
She went on to explain, “There is a thing called sunlight, and in that sunlight you get different colors.” The Olympic gold medalist called the rumors “ridiculous” before adding, “I’m a dark Black woman, and I love who I am, and I love how I look.”
Despite facing repeated ridicule and criticism about their relationship, the Williams-Ohanian couple continued to display their affection for each other on public forums like X and Instagram, often with Olympia and Adira by their side.
