‘Wicked’ star slams airline policy after shocking boarding denial

A travel day turned into a viral moment for Marissa Bode – and not the good kind.

The Wicked star took to TikTok this week, claiming she was denied boarding on a Southern Airways flight because she uses a wheelchair.

“I was denied boarding a flight because I’m disabled,” Bode said in the video. “I wish that were clickbait. I wish that were false, but that is what happened.”

As per Bode, the situation escalated quickly at the gate while she was trying to pull up her boarding pass. “So I got to the gate… ‘Hey, could you help me locate my boarding pass?’” she recalled. What happened next left her stunned.

“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.’”

The explanation? Stairs.

“They proceeded to tell me all the planes within this airline have stairs… Wild. Never heard of that before.”

Bode didn’t hold back: “Disabled people are not an afterthought… This is blatant segregation.”

The airline’s policy does state passengers must be able to climb steps, as its smaller aircraft are exempt from certain accessibility requirements. Still, Bode says her team had confirmed accommodations in advance – making the experience even more frustrating.

The actress, who broke out as Nessarose in Wicked, is not slowing down. She’s next set to lead the thriller Snare, directed by Sonja O’Hara and Adam Hoelzel.

But for now, her story is sparking a bigger conversation online: in 2026, how is air travel still not accessible for everyone?