Latest news with #MarissaBode
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Wicked' star to speak at Southern Connecticut State University commencement
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH) — A 'Wicked' star is set to speak at this year's Southern Connecticut State University commencement, the school announced Thursday. Actress and disability advocate Marissa Bode plays Nessarose in Universal's 'Wicked' series, alongside Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jonathan Bailey. She was the first wheelchair user to portray the character, marking a milestone in disability representation in Hollywood. UConn celebrates commencement at Storrs campus Bode has been acting since she was 8 years old and trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She also serves as an ambassador for a nonprofit that empowers young women from diverse backgrounds, called Saving Our Daughters. She's set to give the commencement speak at the university's undergraduate ceremony in the Total Mortgage Arena on May 22. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will speak at the graduate ceremony later in the day. Before his appointment to the Biden administration, Cardona was the commissioner of education in Connecticut and a former classroom teacher in Meriden. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Wicked actress calls out Met Gala for another year of poor disability inclusion
Disabled actress Marissa Bode has called out the Met Gala for failing to include more visibly disabled individuals at the event, despite the fact they have been 'screaming for years to be included' Wicked star Marissa Bode has called out the Met Gala for its lack of disability inclusion. The actress took to social media to share her thoughts on fashion's big night and its failure to include visibly disabled attendees, sparking a larger conversation of the failings of the fashion and entertainment industries. On the day of this year's Met Gala, May 5, Bode uploaded a video to her TikTok account with the caption 'We belong in fashion!' She began: 'What am I hoping to see at the Met Gala? Disabled people. This is another year of me once again asking 'where are the disabled people'." She finished off the brief post by calling out the infamous Met Gala stairs - the setting for A-list attendees to reveal their themed looks. 'Stairs should not just be a full aesthetic,' Bode shared, 'Be inclusive. 'Where are the disabled people?' That's my thought. Goodbye.' In the caption for the video, Bode named visibly disabled actors and models she considers "more than qualified to be in attendance," including Jillian Mercado, Lauren 'Lolo' Spencer and Aariana Rose Philip. She alludes that the Met Gala invites one visibly disabled attendee that can be 'scratched off a diversity checklist'. The video garnered over 40,000 views and Bode swiftly shared a follow-up video expanding on the failings of the fashion and entertainment industries. 'One more thing about the Met Gala, but also the fashion [and] acting industries as a whole: disabled people have been screaming for years to be included. Not just, 'Oh, you can book this one special diversity shoot. Oh, you can be a part of this one special episode.' I mean, included." Bode called for industries to do a better job at including visibly disabled actors and models regularly to be representative of the space they take up in the world. In the follow-up video, she also rejects any narrative that disabled people are looking for a 'saviour', saying 'all we want is to be heard and listened to and included.' She goes further to explain that this conversation is part of a wider trend of 'inspiration porn'. Essentially, boasting about how 'inspiring' disabled individuals are 'but not doing anything in your everyday life to actually make sure that your spaces are accessible, or fighting alongside disabled people." To her point, she shares examples, such as inquiring about ramps in buildings and accommodations in schools. "If you're in the industry and have the means to do so, 'Hey, why aren't there other disabled people at the Met? And who can I talk to to help that happen?'" says Bode. "I am begging others and non-disabled people to uplift those voices and question those within your spaces — and those people within power to step it up. If y'all are truly allies, do the work. Help us all get there, because we cannot do this on our own," she concluded. The videos received a flood of support, with many calling out the fact that this year's Met Gala theme of Black dandyism in particular lent itself well to disability inclusion. An opportunity overlooked by the chairs. "In a year where the cane is going to be a major fashion accessory… invite people who use canes for mobility reasons. It's perfect" wrote one commenter. This is not the first time that the Met Gala has been called out for its lack of disability inclusion. After last year's event, disability advocate Hannah Diviney penned a letter directly to Anna Wintour - the Gala's longtime co-chair who is notable for having a hand in every aspect of the event. In her letter, Diviney criticised the event for its inaccessibility: 'As a visibly physically disabled woman (I navigate the world in a wheelchair) there is perhaps no greater signal that people like me are not really all that welcome in the worlds of fashion, culture and the currency of how an invite into the upper echelons of power, fame, wealth and influence are won, than those goddamn stairs.' Like Bode, Diviney shared that the Met Gala's iconic stairs represent something different for the disabled community. For Diviney, they are a symbol that the 'don't belong' and 'are not worthy'. 'That's the message of the inaccessibility of the Met Gala telegraphs,' she explains.
Buzz Feed
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Marissa Bode Talks Lack Of Met Gala Disability Inclusion
Wicked star Marissa Bode called out the Met Gala and the fashion industry at large for their lack of disability inclusion. Despite people with disabilities forming the largest minority in the world (around 28% of people in the US), they are hugely underrepresented at the annual event, which typically has around 450 attendees. Some of this year's Black dandy-inspired looks featured items that can also be seen within the context of disability, such as canes and eye patches. Criticisms about how the event is physically inaccessible to some have been noted before, as writer and disability advocate Hannah Diviney previously wrote, "As a visibly physically disabled woman (I navigate the world in a wheelchair) there is perhaps no greater signal that people like me are not really all that welcome in the worlds of fashion, culture and the currency of how an invite into the upper echelons of power, fame, wealth and influence are won, than those goddamn stairs. We don't belong. We are not worthy. That's the message of the inaccessibility of the Met Gala telegraphs." On the day of the Met Gala, Marissa uploaded a TikTok captioned, "We belong in fashion." She began, "What am I hoping to see at the Met Gala? Disabled people. This is another year of me once again asking where all the disabled people [are]. Stairs should not just be a full aesthetic. Be inclusive." In a recent follow-up video, she continued, "One more thing about the Met Gala, but also the fashion [and] acting industries as a whole, disabled people have been screaming for years to be included. Not just, 'Oh, you can book this one special diversity shoot. Oh, you can be a part of this one special episode.' I mean, included." Further specifying that she welcomed situations in which there was more than just one disabled person, she explained, "While none of us need some savior to come and rescue us, all we want is to be heard and listened to and included. And this goes along with the conversation of inspiration porn and calling a disabled person 'inspiring' — but not doing anything in your everyday life to actually make sure that your spaces are accessible, or fighting alongside disabled people." The actor emphasized the feeble attempt at allyship in non-disabled people calling disabled people "inspiring," without engaging in any other advocacy. Along with other examples, such as inquiring about ramps in buildings and accommodations in schools, she added, "If you're in the industry and have the means to do so, 'Hey, why aren't there other disabled people at the Met? And who can I talk to to help that happen?'" "I am begging others and non-disabled people to uplift those voices and question those within your spaces — and those people within power to step it up. If y'all are truly allies, do the work. Help us all get there, because we cannot do this on our own," she concluded. Marissa also listed Jillian Mercado, Lauren 'Lolo' Spencer, and Aariana Rose Philip as actors and models who are "more than qualified to be in attendance." Well said!!
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Wicked star Marissa Bode slams the fashion industry over a lack of disabled representation at the Met Gala as she 'begs non-disabled people for more support'
Wicked star Marissa Bode has slammed the industry for a 'lack of disabled representation' following the Met Gala in a TikTok clip shared to her social media on Thursday. The actress, 24, who plays Nessarose - Elphaba's favored sister in the two-part musical movie adaptation, 'begged' for support from the public as she said 'disabled people have been screaming for years, for years, to be included'. Marissa has made history as the first actress with a disability to portray the character of Nessarose, bringing authenticity and representation to the role. She has been an advocate for respectful representation of disabled individuals in media and has previously spoken out against ableist jokes and comments about her character. And now, the actress has spoken out following Anna Wintour 's annual fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute as she 'begs' the industry to do more for disabled people. She said: 'Sorry one more thing about the Met Gala, but also the fashion industry, acting industry as a whole. Disabled people have been screaming for years, for years, to be included. 'Not just oh you can book this one special diversity shoot, oh you can be a part of this one special episode, I mean included, included, regularly, more than the one and only disabled person being included in something hire multiple of us because we do often exist in the same spaces in real life together. 'And while none of us need some savior to come and rescue us per se all we want is to be heard and listened to and included. 'And this goes along with the conversation of inspiration porn and calling a disabled person inspiring but not going anything in your everyday life to actually make sure that your spaces are accessible, fighting alongside disabled people. 'I truly believe people's biggest problems is disabled people truly doing all the work because we have to force survival if there is also nobody really else there and that what I'm getting at. 'If you as a non disabled person have called a disabled person inspiring, while at the same time you're not checking in with your own spaces and questioning ''hey why isn't there a ramp here? Who can I talk to about that to make sure that that happens? Why don't we gave the support in our schools for disabled kids? How can I help and who can I talk to to ask questions about that and push for that to actually happen?'' 'If you're in the industry and have the means to do so, ''why aren't there other disabled people at the Met and who can I talk to to help that happen? Why aren't there a ton of disabled people in the entertainment industry as a whole? Who can I talk to to make that happen?'' 'Because disabled people have been screaming from the rooftops forever because again no one else seems to. I am begging others and non-disabled people to uplift those voices and questions those within your spaces. 'And those more people with in power to step it up. If y'all are truly allies then do the work. Help us all get there because we cannot do this on our own.' This is not the first time Wicked star Marissa has spoken out as she took to TikTok in December to address the 'very gross and harmful comments' that have been circulating online ever since the Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande -led film premiered on November 22. In her video message, she began by saying that it is OK and 'totally fine' to dislike Nessarose's actions and personality or to make jokes about those particular subjects because she is a fictional character. The actress — whose rumored salary along with those of her Wicked co-stars have gone viral — said that she herself is a 'deeply unserious' person, who loves joking around when it is fun and harmless. However, she condemned jokes about Nessarose's disability and said they are 'deeply uncomfortable.' 'Disability is not fictional,' Bode explained. 'At the end of the day, me, Marissa, is the person that is still disabled and in a wheelchair. So, it is simply a low-hanging fruit that too many of you are comfortable taking.' 'This goes so far beyond me, Marissa, just needing to ignore comments on the internet,' she continued. 'These comments do not exist in a vacuum,' she said before she started giving examples of the shocking and egregious jokes people have been making about her character regarding her disability. '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.' '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,' she said. In the TikTok video, she also admitted that 'the most frustrating part about all of this is how scared I am to even post [and] talk about this.' 'I am scared also [to say this],' the star added. 'Because I have seen firsthand what has happened to my disabled peers who are outspoken online, when it comes to calling out ableism and jokes of standing and being a "vegetable" — which is a derogatory term, by the way, for disabled people and a comment that I saw about Nessa.' She said she witnessed them being told to 'just take a joke' or 'stop complaining.' Because of the comments, she said they have had to step back from content creation and their artistry to protect mental health, which she noted is 'not good.' She encouraged people to stop dismissing each other or 'claiming an experience can't be true' because they 'don't feel that way' or cannot relate with their own lived experience. Bode said she's learned that jokes about disability 'are made out of ignorance.' However, Bode said she wanted to speak out to try and stop anyone else from being 'harmed' by the jokes. '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,' she said. 'I do know and have seen, not in this specific instance, but similar comments be made on my disabled peers and disabled creators' videos to the point where, again, it runs them off the internet. That's not good. Please be kind.' She concluded: 'Lastly, I want to say one of the major themes within Wicked is having the ability to listen and to understand one another. And I truly hope that is something a lot of you can practice more and take with you.' In the caption adjoining her video, Bode wrote: '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.' 'These comments do not exist in a vacuum,' she said before she started giving examples of the shocking and egregious jokes people have been making about her character regarding her disability (pictured November 14 in New York City) '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' )pictured November 9 in Los Angeles) She also recommended people to 'read up on the disability rights movement' and '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.'
Web Release
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Web Release
Messika Lights Up Hollywood's Biggest Night: The 97th Oscars
Lifestyle Web Release Selection By Editor_wr Last updated Mar 4, 2025 At the 97th annual Oscars red carpet , Messika once again captivated audiences with its High Jewelry creations, adorning iconic figures from the worlds of cinema and music. Marissa Bode Nominated for her role in the Oscar-nominated film Wicked, American actress Marissa Bode added a touch of sparkle to her ensemble with the Diamond Catcher earrings and Saguaro ring. Sara Sampaio International model Sara Sampaio mesmerized in a radiant and striking ensemble, featuring the Star Chaser necklace adorned with white pearls, the Disco Pulsation bracelet also showcasing white pearls, along with the Fiery rings, My Twin earrings, and Fiery earrings—a harmonious blend celebrating brilliance and femininity. Charlotte Lawrence Singer Charlotte Lawrence exuded effortless sophistication, accessorizing her look with the Équilibristes earrings— a subtle yet refined choice that added the perfect touch of elegance to her evening ensemble. Messika Lights Up Hollywood's Biggest Night: The 97th Oscars Comments are closed.
