Bunkie native to appear on ‘Wife Swap’ tonight

Bunkie native Jarius Goudeau Joseph will be making history, of a sort, when he and his spouse star in tonight's (April 25) episode of the “Wife Swap” reality TV show. The episode of the rebooted series will air at 8 p.m. on the Paramount Network -- formerly called Spike TV.

What makes this “Wife Swap” different from all others that have come before it is the fact that one couple is homosexual and black while the other is heterosexual and white.

Jarius, 26, and his husband Terrell, also 26, live in Atlanta, Ga. Jarius is a 2011 graduate of Bunkie High. He is the son of Wykisa Goudeau of Bunkie.

Goudeau said she is blessed to know that her efforts as a single mother were not in vain. She said she is “past proud for my sons and I love my grandkids more than words can say.”

Wykisa runs Security Finance in Bunkie. She makes an appearance on the show. She said the family will gather at the house of her mother, Helen Goudeau, to watch the show.

Jarius said Bunkie will always be his family home, but he has not had an opportunity to visit in some time.

“I talk to my mama multiple times a day,” Jarius said, “but my work on social media keeps me busy.”

Jarius said Atlanta will be his and Terrell’s permanent home.

“There are a lot of good people in Bunkie,” he said. “I enjoyed growing up in Bunkie.”

Jarius earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from Southern University. He met Terrell in 2011 when they were both freshmen, Terrell is from Lake Charles.

They moved to Atlanta, where they married in 2017. Jarius took Terrell’s last name.

“When my husband and I announced we were having kids on social media, it went viral,” Jarius said.

He said the couple has done a Disney commercial. They both work full-time on social media, such as Youtube.

After the “Wife Swap” episode airs, they will appear on national talk shows.

“The main goal of our appearing on ‘Wife Swap’ is to give the world an inside view of what it is like living in a black gay family in 2019,” Jarius said.

The couple’s first attempt at a surrogate pregnancy ended in miscarriage in 2016 after five months.

On their second attempt, they had two surrogate pregnancies resulting in Ashton and Aria. Ashton is about five weeks older than his sister.

The two men are using their public platform to inspire others to never stop reaching for their goals and dreams.

Jarius said he did not “come out” as gay in high school. He was the captain of the basketball team, track team and cross country team. He also competed in academic contests with the school’s Beta Club.

“I knew I was gay,” Jarius said, but he did not want to risk the possible repercussions from his classmates by publicly announcing he was homosexual.

Jarius said he and Terrell are hoping to have their own reality TV show in the future.