“Barbaric and dehumanizing”: Wicked’s Marissa Bode speaks out about lack of accessible bathrooms on airplanes
Wicked actress Marissa Bode posted a vulnerable video describing what happened during a recent flight from New York.
While she said that she hesitated to share it, disabled travelers faced routine humiliation in the air, and she wanted to spotlight some of the many problems they face. Because airplanes still lack accessible bathrooms, she explained, basic bodily needs become emergencies rather than expectations.
Marissa Bode described how inaccessible airplane bathrooms left her trapped mid-flight
In the video, Bode spoke about "how incredibly barbaric and dehumanizing that disabled people are treated when flying." Although commercial aviation has expanded significantly in recent years, she noted planes still lacked accessible restrooms. As a result, she explained that disabled people who cannot walk faced impossible choices.
According to Bode, those options included dehydrating for an entire flight or using catheters or leg bags. She said she often avoided drinking water, especially on shorter trips. Therefore, she assumed she could manage the New York flight without an incident.
Before boarding, Bode said she used the airport bathroom and took a melatonin gummy once seated. Then she fell asleep from exhaustion. However, she woke up with an hour and a half remaining and realized she had leaked through her clothing.
@marissa_edob After a week of sitting on this I have decided to press post. I know im not the only disabled person to be treated this way when flying and with any sort of a platform, I think it’s important to amplify these issues. I’m so sick of being treated as “too difficult” or unreasonable when asking to be treated as a human being. Claiming ignorance is no longer going to cut it. Educate yourself. Listen to disabled voices. The resources are out there.
♬ original sound - Marissa
Because the plane had no accessible bathroom, she said she could do nothing until landing. "Having to sit there for that amount of time in my own [pee]," she said, left her feeling "subhuman" and trapped.
Bode described how she scratched her neck to cope until the skin became raw and scabbed from the stress.
She texted her partner to explain she needed to rush to the bathroom immediately. While Bode handled her own emergency, her partner faced another crisis. Airline staff had broken her wheelchair, which was already a replacement from a previous flight.
She also alleged that wheelchair assistance workers ignored instructions and grabbed her partner without consent. As Bode said, "If you are not asking how to help a disabled person, you are not helping them."
Social media reactions echoed frustration with airline accessibility
Folks on both TikTok and Reddit, where the video was reposted, rallied behind Bode. One commenter wrote, "No accessible bathrooms while many first-class flights have actual showers is insane." Another added that profit always seemed to come before humanity.
A flight attendant from Australia responded with curiosity and a desire to help. "I’m cabin crew (in Australia), and I would truly love nothing more than having ways to make EVERY passenger more comfortable on flights," they noted. "In terms of accessible lavatories, what exactly would be helpful? The aircraft I work on, we have an aisle wheelchair specifically used to be able to transport a disabled pax to the lavatory."
Others criticized airlines for redesigning cabins to fit more seats. One TikToker suggested a dedicated accessible bathroom near the front, with removable seating when unused.
Redditor u/BigGayNarwhal wrote that airlines would not change "unless forced with laws." Meanwhile, u/lotsofsugarandspice called the situation a safety risk, saying, "It's genuinely so dangerous to the disabled person [and] others around them to make them sit in human waste for hours. It's completely unacceptable and shows a flagrant disregard for safety."
u/Different_Prior_517 noted, "Whenever I see Instagram videos from wheelchair users 95% of them have reels talking about the times airlines have broken their wheelchairs and how the airlines don’t give a sh*t."
Marissa Bode did not respond immediately to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via Instagram DM.
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