โWickedโ starย Marissa Bode is calling out an airline after being denied boarding a flight because of her wheelchair.
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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.”
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Bode took to TikTok on Thursday to share an emotional video detailing the experience. The video has quickly gone viral.
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“So I got to the gate, and I was like, โHey, could you help me locate my boarding pass… And the two people at the gate look at me, and they are like, โCan you stand?โ And I said, โNo.โ And they said, โIโm sorry, but because of that, weโre going to have to deny you boarding.โ 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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Also read: Helena Bonham Carter exits โThe White Lotusโ S4
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“I was like, disabled people are not an afterthought. Why, knowing that disabled people exist, which yโall clearly often forget, do you choose not to update your planes? And I was like, โThis is blatant segregation,” she added.
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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.
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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.