Marissa Bode, the actress playing Nessarose in Wicked: For Good, became the center of an uncomfortable controversy after a selfie taken during the film’s London premiere on November 10 went viral with more than 4 million views.
The photo shows Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo posing with what appears to be a member of access media, while Bode sits in front of them in her wheelchair. For many, she was deliberately glossed over by the person taking the photo, and looked away with what was interpreted as an awkward smile.
“I feel really bad for her, I wish I could go and hug Marisa,” a fan wrote.
“This is heartbreaking. Screw these ghouls,” another said, blaming Erivo and Grande for not including their co-star.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were criticized for allegedly ignoring Marissa Bode while taking a selfie
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The outrage only grew as the photo was shared across social media. Viewers on Instagram and X argued the moment exposed the performative nature of Hollywood’s commitment to disability inclusion.
Some who claimed to have followed the cast for months said the selfie did not surprise them. They described a clear pattern of Bode being overlooked during press interactions and promotional appearances.
Image credits: Universal Pictures
“Ariana didn’t bother acknowledging Marissa, even when Marissa stood up for her, and it made me so angry,” one commenter wrote. “Plus Marissa looks so awkward right here.”
“The way Marissa has been mistreated since day one is honestly heartbreaking,” another added. “How can all of them, especially that girl, take a selfie without her and not stop to think about how she’d feel?”
Image credits: Universal Pictures
The tone hardened as some viewers interpreted the photo as a moment of humiliation.
“God, Marissa is stronger than I am. I would go scorched earth on Ariana,” one person wrote.
Someone else said, “My jaw actually dropped when I saw this. It’s genuinely so messed up.”
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For some, the controversy revealed a larger inequality inside the cast.
“Cynthia talks nonstop about ‘space’ and ‘inclusion,’ then does this. It’s ridiculous,” one user said.
“They only seem to care about space and inclusion when it benefits them,” another replied.
The production team behind Wicked took great care in adapting their set to facilitate Bode’s movement
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Marissa Bode was born in Mazomanie, Wisconsin. She began acting in school and local theatre around age eight. When she was 11, a car accident left her paralyzed from the waist down.
She did not abandon acting. Instead she pressed on.
In Los Angeles she trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Over the years she performed mainly in stage musicals.
Image credits: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
In 2022 it was publicly announced that Bode would play Nessarose Thropp in the film adaptation of Wicked.
As a result, she became the first actress who uses a wheelchair in real life to portray Nessarose. Until then, all actors playing that role on stage or screen had been non-disabled.
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What the internet critics ignored, however, was that the woman in question did take a selfie that included Bode. Without that context, it made it seem as if she had deliberately ignored the actress and walked away.
Regardless of what actually transpired, the internet had already taken the controversial story and ran with it.
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Not only that, the production team on Wicked reportedly went to great lengths to make performing as comfortable as possible for Bode.
On set, accommodations were not an afterthought. The production included a disability coordinator and set designs considering the realities of a wheelchair user. Bode praised the efforts, saying the environment was built to include her fully.
Wicked: For Good has, so far, been a commercial and critical success both in the US and overseas
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Beyond the online chatter, Wicked: For Good was, by every measurable standard, a commercial success.
The film opened with about 147–150 million dollars domestically, the strongest opening ever recorded for a Broadway-musical adaptation, and reached roughly 223 million worldwide by the end of its first weekend.
International performance remained solid. By late November 2025 the film had earned approximately 177.4 million dollars in the United States and 76.3 million dollars overseas, bringing its total to about 253.8 million worldwide.
“Awkward.” Netizens shared their thoughts about the photo online
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