“Wicked” actress Marissa Bode claimed she was denied boarding her Southern Airways flight because she uses a wheelchair — and she’s not holding back after calling out the airline.
The 25-year-old, who has been confined to a wheelchair since being involved in a car crash at age 11, took to TikTok on Thursday, claiming, “I was denied boarding a flight because I’m disabled,” describing the experience as “awful.”
Bode said the interaction occurred during a layover flight while she was traveling to a speaking engagement in Pennsylvania.
She said her first flight on United Airlines went smoothly, but things took a turn when she approached the gate for her connecting flight with Southern Airways — which serves only eight states in the US.
“I got to the gate and was like, ‘Hey, could you help me locate my boarding pass?’” she said.
“And the two people at the gate look at me and they’re like, ‘Can you stand?’ And I said, ‘No.’ And they said, ‘I’m sorry, because of that we’re gonna have to deny you boarding.’”
Bode said she was stunned by the explanation that followed.
“They proceeded to tell me all the planes within this airline have stairs to get on the plane. Wild. Never heard of that before … You’re telling me none of the people who have flown on your plane before are disabled?”
She went on to call the situation “blatant segregation,” adding that staff also raised concerns about her 35-pound wheelchair.
The actress said her team had already coordinated with the airline before the trip.
“My manager spoke to them beforehand and they fully assured that I would be set for my flight,” she said, suggesting the denial came despite prior arrangements.
“It is always something when I’m flying,” she said. “It is very rare that I’m flying and there isn’t a problem with my chair or I’m not talked down to.”
She added that the situation went beyond a simple mix-up.
“It’s so much more than bad communication,” she said. “It’s so much more than a mistake. These are our lives. This is our entire existence you’re talking about. My wheelchair is my freedom.”
Bode also addressed how she felt reacting in the moment.
“And of course when I’m crying out of frustration and talking to the people at the gate very firmly, I look like a crazy person,” she continued. “I look like the one that’s in the wrong.”
Ultimately, she had no choice but to make the trip by car instead.
“I had to drive three and a half hours to get to my destination,” she said, before blasting the airline directly: “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“And airlines as a whole, once again, do f—ing better,” she added.
Under the Air Carrier Access Act, airlines are prohibited from discriminating against passengers with disabilities and are required to assist, including help with boarding and connections.
However, Southern Airways’ contract of carriage states that passengers “must be able to ascend and descend several steps” due to the design of its smaller aircraft, which typically carry fewer than 30 passengers.
The airline notes that it is not required under federal law to provide mechanical lifts in those cases, though ramps may sometimes be available.
The incident comes as Bode continues to gain visibility following her role as Nessarose in “Wicked.”
After the original film’s release in 2024, she faced backlash online tied to her character, with some viewers criticizing Nessarose as a “bad sister” to Elphaba — commentary that spilled into hateful comments about her disability.
“Aggressive comments and jokes about Nessa’s disability itself is deeply uncomfortable, because disability is not fictional,” Bode said at the time.