“Wicked” star Marissa Bode is calling out an airline after being denied boarding a flight because of her wheelchair.
Calling it a "blatant segregation", the 25-year-old disabled actor revealed that despite pre-flight assurances, she was told she couldn't board the flight because she was unable to "walk the stairs."
Bode took to TikTok on Thursday to share an emotional video detailing the experience. The video has quickly gone viral.
"So I got to the gate, and I was like, ‘Hey, could you help me locate my boarding pass... And the two people at the gate look at me, and they are like, ‘Can you stand?’ And I said, ‘No.’ And they said, ‘I’m sorry, but because of that, we’re going to have to deny you boarding.’ They proceeded to tell me all the planes within this airline have stairs to get on the plane. Wild. Never heard of that before," she said.
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"I was like, disabled people are not an afterthought. Why, knowing that disabled people exist, which y’all clearly often forget, do you choose not to update your planes? And I was like, ‘This is blatant segregation," she added.
The actor was travelling by Southern Airways Express, whose policy states the passengers must be capable of ascending and descending several steps to board their small, 28 or lesser seat aircraft. "My manager spoke to them beforehand, and they fully assured, I would be set for my flight," she said.
Bode made her acting debut in 2024 with "Wicked: Part I", where she essayed the role of Nessarose Thropp. The film also featured Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. She then went on to feature in the second instalment of the franchise, "Wicked: Part Two", which released in 2025.
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