Los Angeles, "Wicked" actor Marissa Bode recalled the incident when she was denied boarding a flight because of her wheelchair and called it a "blatant segregation".
Bode, a disabled actor, shared a video on her TikTok handle on Thursday, according to the entertainment news website Variety, where she narrated about her flight experience.
The 25-year-old actor said her manager spoke to the airline prior, and they were assured that the necessary arrangements would be made.
Bode said the staff asked if she was able to get up from the wheelchair and walk the stairs, and after denying it, she wasn't allowed to board the flight.
"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.
"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.
{{/usCountry}}"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.
{{/usCountry}}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-seat or fewer 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 installment of the franchise, "Wicked: Part Two", which released in 2025.
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