Wife Swap is a reality television programme, produced by UK independent TV production company RDF Media and created by Stephen Lambert. It first aired in 2003 on the UK's Channel 4, and since 2004 an American version has also aired on the ABC network. On February 28 2008 ABC announced that it had renewed Wife Swap through the 2008-2009 Season.

In November of 2005, Jeffrey Bedford, a participant on the show, sued ABC network for trading his wife for a gay man. He accused ABC of being dishonest, not allowing him contact with his wife, and making him miss college classes. He claims that when he ceased participating with the production of the show, ABC threatened that it would not tell him his wife's whereabouts and would not pay for his wife's return home. He is suing for over USD$10,000,000.00.

On March 23, 2005, 50-year-old former Wife Swap participant Edward Heiss, Jr., of Warwick, Rhode Island, was arrested on charges of identity theft and for obtaining money under false pretenses. He allegedly used his father's identity to obtain a luxury automobile, loans, and goods with a value of $100,000. Heiss appeared in Wife Swap in the autumn of 2005. His wife Susan said that he is impulsive with money

In 2006 on the American version, a new twist was added whereby the wife can bring in someone to help her (a family member, a friend) to help on one day of the swap. The twist was discontinued early in the third season and only appeared in a few episodes.

Parodies: Wife Swap was spoofed in an episode of Hope & Faith with Wynonna Judd guest starring, as well as on a 2006 episode of The Simpsons, written by and starring Ricky Gervais. In 2007, Richard Thomas' BBC Two series Kombat Opera Presents included a musical parody of the American version of Wife Swap, under the title Spouse Change. In the final episode of The Vicar of Dibley, it showed Dawn French, and Sting participating in a Celebrity Wife Swap.