RHOSLC's Mary Cosby Has Lived A Challenging Life

The women of the Real Housewives are known for saying what's on their mind, and there's no better example of this than listening to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Mary Cosby speak. Mary's gotten some heat from her co-stars for being brutally honest, but that's just Mary.

When the reality TV star joined Season 1 of RHOSLC, she caused an uproar after it was learned that she was married to her late grandmother's second husband, Robert Cosby Sr., who is 20 years her senior. She's also constantly been nagged about her over-the-top filtered photos and how she refuses to use public restrooms.

Although Mary lives a glamorous life, it has not been easy. She has detailed several challenges she has faced, which include her relationship with her troubled son, Robert Jr., her non-existent relationship with her mother, and rumors that her church was a cult.

Mary Cosby Has Been Focusing On Her Son's Personal Struggles

Mary Cosby has not kept her son, Robert Cosby Jr.'s personal struggles a secret on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Robert Jr. lives with his mother and has lived a very sheltered life, which Mary has shared that she is to blame. She has also dealt with her son's troubling substance abuse issues that saw him entering a rehab facility over the summer.

According to Reality Tea, Robert Jr. was arrested in March 2022 for driving under the influence and admitted to taking "oxycontin, Xanax, and smoked marijuana" in the past. Robert Jr. was ordered to enter an inpatient treatment facility in May after he "tested positive for cocaine, Fentanyl, and THC." Although he did complete certain aspects of his court order, he was "non-compliant" with other parts of his treatment. In July, Robert Jr. was in a rehab facility seeking treatment, but it is not known for what specific reason.

In the Season 5 trailer of RHOSLC, Mary is seen crying for her son after she goes over the harrowing events that led to his rehab. As someone who puts it all out on the table, Mary allows viewers to see how difficult it has been trying to help her son and how she sometimes sees herself as the one to blame. In the trailer, Mary speaks to her son about how she would feel if anything terrible happened to him.

"Do you know how that will kill me? If something ever happened to you?"

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Mary shared how her son was doing amid his substance abuse troubles and reflected on her tough conversation with her son, which will be seen in RHOSLC.

"In that moment I feel like Robert told me it was sometimes where he was on substances that he just didn't want to live and that right there, that was an eye opener for me. I'm like, 'You don't want to live?'"

She continued, "I don't have thoughts like that but I came to the realization that it's substance. They alter your thoughts and your brain and they can make you go dark and you can think like that and I was like, 'If you're not here, I don't have anything to live for.' And I want him to know that. [That's] my truth.'"

Thankfully, Mary also shared with the outlet that Robert Jr. was doing much better. "He's taking it day by day."

Mary's Church Has Been At The Center Of Much Controversy

Mary's church has been the topic of much scrutiny since she became a housewife. In Season 2, rumors swirled that Mary's Faith Temple Pentacostal Church was running like a cult. In fact, several church members, including her uncle, came forward to describe that it was operated similarly to a cult.

"It's cultish what they've done," an anonymous former churchgoer told The Daily Beast. Adding, "It's the mental manipulation to try and get people to believe that she has power to either take them to heaven or condemn them to hell."

RHOSLC's Lisa Barlow further ignited these rumors in Season 2 after she spoke to friend Cameron Williams — the former chair of Utah County's Black Chamber of Commerce — who told her, "Is it a cult? Yes. Does she call herself God? Yes."

Mary denied the accusations that she was running a cult. She also denied that she was taking money from the church to fund her lavish lifestyle. "I believe in my church. There's no cult. My church members, they know those are false allegations," she told The Daily Beast.

Mary reportedly returned as a full-time housewife for Season 5 if her church wasn't up for discussion. The church has been closed since 2022, supposedly due to Covid-19. "Mary has not mentioned the church since returning to the Real Housewives franchise, and some fans believe she would only appear on reality TV if the subject were not addressed," a fan on Reddit confirmed.

Mary Does Not Have A Relationship With Her Mother

Mary has not spoken to her mother in nearly 30 years. Mary spoke about why she no longer had a relationship with her mom, Rosalind Cazares, in a 2021 episode of RHOSLC. The reality TV star believed that it was greed that caused the women to drift apart.

Recalling her controversial marriage: When Mary's grandmother Rosemary Redmon Cosby died, not only did she marry her husband, which is Mary's step-grandfather, she inherited Rosemary's multimillion-dollar estate.

"When my grandmother passed and I married Robert Cosby Sr., my mom wanted everything. She [felt] it was her mom and that she should have been next in line, that she should have the church. And when we felt like that wasn't the will of God, she just like, cut me off, was like, 'I deserve that. You don't.'"

Sadly, in the same episode, Mary tells the women that there is no hope for reconciliation. In fact, even her family became divided when she wed Robert Sr. and inherited her grandmother's millions.

During her recent interview with ET, she shared that her relationship with her mother hasn't changed. "I haven't heard from my mom in 20-years plus. She's never reached out. She doesn't care like that. She has way more things that's important to her than her kids and it's always been like that."

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