Wife Swap has included its first Black Gay couple.
The reality tv show Wife Swap sees two families swapping wives/mothers/and sometimes husbands for two weeks. The families then deal with the clashing of lifestyles and social classes.
The show first ran from 2004 to 2010. It then got a spin-off series featuring celebrities in 2012 that lasted for four seasons. Then, a reboot began at the start of this month.
With the new reboot came more inclusion, as the latest episode, that aired on April 25, included the Black Gay couple Terrell and Jarius Joseph. The Josephs are also fathers to twins Ashton and Aria.
On the show, Terrell swaps spots with Nina Goss, a mother of eight married to Matt Goss. Both households are rocked by this controversial swap as the Goss household is strict and Christian while the Joseph household contradicts the Goss’s philosophy on homosexuality.
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Terell and Jarius spoke to Gays With Kids about the episode and experience:
“It was tough to face some of the hot-button issues; especially sexual orientation. However, it was a conversation that was needed so we can show the world how it affects us as a community. We understand that growth is sometimes uncomfortable but it is necessary nonetheless. We took this opportunity with great pride because the world needs to see more families like us. Representation really does matter and we hope to inspire others to know that building their own families is possible and that the world is really changing in our favor!”
The two then expanded on the idea of representation for Black Gay couples while talking to Out Magazine.
“I think it’s really important for us to progress our community from a representation standpoint and show all parts of the LGBT community,” said Jarius. “And we’re such a vast community and we are made of so many different people, from color to personalities and things like that. But often times, we get shown in a very “extra,” kind of catty way. So for us, we really were excited to get the opportunity to show the family aspect of the Black gay community and how we interact with our kids and how we run our household.”
Terrell then added:
“With us having a social media platform now, we try to share that positive representation through YouTube. Reality TV was just a way to reach the masses that much faster and promote our image. You can have a same-sex marriage and have children and it be a monogamous relationship. We’re hoping when the show airs that it reaches more people, that positive representation that’s much needed.”
This isn’t our first time meeting Terell and Jarius. We first heard of the couple in 2017 when they became the fathers of two healthy children.
The couple went through a tough battle with surrogacy. They first endured a miscarriage in 2016. Then, they started the journey with a second surrogate. While the second surrogate appeared to be going through pregnancy smoothly, the Josephs got a surprise announcement. Their first surrogate was pregnant again. This led to the Josephs welcoming not just one baby, but two!
The couple, who were only engaged at the time, then got married and formally introduced their “twins” to family and friends.
“Don’t give up, and don’t let anyone stand in your way,” Terrell told NewNowNext after the arrival of their children Ashton and Aria. “There could be some heartbreak and some ’No’ before you finally get your ’Yes.’ But in the end, you won’t even remember the struggle it took to get them here—you’ll only know the fuzzy feeling you get every time you look at them knowing you’re their world.”
