Marissa Bode calling out ‘power-hungry dictator’ reportedly cut from Wicked TV special

A rallying cry from Wicked and Wicked: For Good star Marissa Bode asking audience members to stand up to a “power-hungry dictator” was reportedly cut from NBC’s TV special, Wicked: One Wonderful Night.

Wicked: One Wonderful Night, which aired last night (6 November) in the US, saw the film’s stars including Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jeff Goldblum perform songs from the hit musical adaptation. Other stars including newly-crowned World’s Sexiest Man Jonathan Bailey and Wicked director Jon M Chu were also there to share tidbits and reflections from their time making the two-part epic.

Towards the end of the two-hour show, queer actress Marissa Bode, who plays Nessarose, the sister to Erivo’s Elphaba, introduced Erivo to sing the jewel in Wicked’s crown of songs: “Defying Gravity”.

Introducing the song, Bode praised it as the film’s number that “stands out” most and has “connected with so many people from all over the world”.

“The song is an ode to authenticity and about believing in yourself no matter what obstacles the world puts in your way. Performing ‘Defying Gravity,’ please welcome the incredible Cynthia Erivo,” she said.

Yet, according to Entertainment Weekly and Deadline, the speech was cut by network NBC to edit out a call from Bode for those in the audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to stand up against a “power-hungry dictator”.

The publications report that they had reporters in the audience at the TV special’s filming back in September, and Bode made the call alongside describing “Defying Gravity” as a song about “believing in yourself” and being authentic.

PinkNews has reached out to NBC and Marissa Bode for comment.

The call to stand up against a “power-hungry dictator” would be in keeping with Wicked and Wicked: For Good’s story arc, considering Elphaba is shunned and ousted from the Land of Oz after being dubbed “wicked” by the city’s corrupt and enigmatic leader, The Wizard (Goldblum).

In Wicked, The Wizard is keen to have Elphaba on side because of her immense magic powers, but once Elphaba realises that he is the person behind the silencing of the city’s animals, she takes a stand against him.

However, given the political climate in the US under Donald Trump’s administration, it’s likely that Bode was making a covert quip about his leadership of the country.

Away from playing Nessarose, Bode is fairly outspoken politically, using her TikTok account to call out bullying and ableism. In September, following the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, Bode said that she didn’t “feel an ounce of sympathy” for him as he had built his “whole career” on “being a bigot”.

“And if I’m hateful for not giving a f**k, really think about what you’re saying, babes,” she said in a TikTok post.

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