Wicked’s Marissa Bode criticises disability jokes

• The Wicked actress posted a five-minute TikTok speaking out about ableist jokes made about her character Nessarose
• Bode also uses a wheelchair in real life
• She is the first wheelchair user to play Nessarose

Wicked‘s Marissa Bode has condemned people who are making jokes about her and her character Nessarose’s disability.

Bode is a wheelchair user like her character and is the first actor to play Nessarose – the sister of Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba – who uses a wheelchair in real life.

In a five-minute TikTok video, she said the comments were “aggressive,” “very gross” and “harmful.”

“Disability is not fictional”

“It is absolutely OK to not like a fictional character,” Bode said. “I am going to be admitting my bias in the way that I have a lot of different feelings on Nessa than a lot of you do, and that’s totally fine. I think Nessa is complex, but that’s the beauty of art. Wicked and these characters and the movie wouldn’t be what it was if there weren’t different opinions on the characters and who’s truly wicked or not. And not liking Nessa herself is OK. Because she is fictional, that’s totally fine.”

Bode admitted that she is a “deeply unserious person,” who isn’t offended by “silly, goofy, harmless” jokes regarding Nessarose’s personality or actions. However, she emphasised that ableist jokes are a very different matter and make her “deeply uncomfortable” especially since she is disabled too.

@marissa_edob

Representation is important but that’s not the only thing that will save the disabled community. I need a lot of y’all (non-disabled people) to do the work. To dissect and unlearn your own ableism. Listen to disabled people. Follow other disabled people outside of just me. Read up on the disability rights movement/watch the documentary Crip Camp! I understand no one likes feeling like they’re being scolded. But true progress never comes with comfort. And that’s ok. #wicked #nessa 💗💚

♬ original sound – Marissa

“Disability is not fictional,” Bode continued. “At the end of the day, me, Marissa, is the person that is still disabled and in a wheelchair. And so, it is simply a low-hanging fruit that too many of you are comfortable taking.

She continued: “Before even being cast in ‘Wicked,’ I had received comments — just as me, as Marissa, not Nessa — around the words of ‘Stand up for yourself,’ ‘I guess you can’t stand huh,’ et cetera,” she said. “These comments aren’t original, and when these jokes are being made by non-disabled strangers with a punchline of not being able to walk, it very much feels like laughing at rather than laughing with.

“Listen to the people or to the person that it is affecting”

 Bode finished the video by encouraging fans to better take in the message Wicked is trying to send, since it is just as relevant to having empathy for disabled people instead of mocking them.

“This goes so far beyond me, Marissa, just needing to ignore comments on the internet. These comments do not exist in a vacuum. Aggressive comments of wanting to cause harm and push Nessa out of her wheelchair, or that she deserves her disability, are two very gross and harmful comments that real disabled people, including myself, have heard before.”

“Listen to the people or to the person that it is affecting and how it makes them feel. Thankfully, I’m at a place in my life today where I can recognize these jokes about disability are made out of ignorance. I couldn’t say the same about Marissa 10 years ago, and it would have affected younger me a lot more, and I’m worried that a younger version of myself is somewhere on the internet and is harmed by these comments.”