Man Sues ABC Over Gay "Wife Swap"

An Oklahoma man is suing the ABC show "Wife Swap" for over $10 million in a U.S. District Court after the show "swapped" his wife with a gay man.

Jeffrey D. Bedford, who lives with his wife and kids outside Muskogee, assumed he was swapping wives with a heterosexual couple. He also said that the producers of the show refused him to talk to his wife during the taping of the show.

In his suit against Walt Disney, the parent company of ABC, Bedford claims that his gay "wife" invited a gay group over to his home while he was conducting a Bible study for the Haileyville Baptist Church.

In addition to the problems Bedford experienced with his "gay wife", he is also accusing the show's producers of telling him repeatedly that his wife was going to leave him, causing him severe mental stress.

Bedford claims to have been so emotionally distraught from the experience that he became physically and mentally ill.

Bedford seeks $5 million for mental distress, $5 million for punitive damage and $225,000 for other legal issues, including breach of contract.

ABC spokeswoman Annie Fort told Muskogee Phoenix that the producers did not mislead Bedford.

"The show is meant to challenge a family's norms. Moreover, the agreement between the plaintiff and RDF specifically stated that the swapped spouse could be either male or female."

According to Fort the is currently no scheduled date for the unaired episode.