Copyright Us Weekly
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Mary Cosby and her church are being put under the microscope in an upcoming TV event. On Wednesday, November 12, TLC announced a three-part docuseries that will investigate the church Mary, 53, shares with her husband, Robert Cosby Sr. “With claims of spiritual and financial and misconduct circling Cosby and the church, The Cult of the Real Housewife unpacks the allegations behind the headlines and reveals the darker and more unsettling truth,” TLC said in a press release. Mary’s grandmother, Dr. Rosemary “Redmon” Cosby, founded the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church in 1968. Following her death, Mary took on the role of first lady and evangelist alongside her husband, who is the church’s bishop. TLC’s upcoming docuseries promises to feature investigative journalists and bloggers who have been tracking Mary’s story from the beginning. The network also teased “deeply personal and disturbing accounts from family members such as Mary’s sister, Denise Jefferson Odinaka, and Mary’s cousin, Dan Cosby, along with his wife, Kim.” “Featuring access to recordings of controversial sermons delivered by Mary and Robert Cosby Sr., as well as extensive archival from the early days of Faith Temple, The Cult of the Real Housewife pulls back the salacious headlines and social media takes to dive deeper and unpack on the most enduring mysteries at the core of the scandal,” TLC stated. “How have Mary and Robert Cosby Sr. managed to avoid accountability for so long?” Us Weekly has reached out to Bravo for comment. Ever since helping launch The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City in 2020, Mary has opened up her life to Bravo cameras. While she took a break from the show in season 3, she returned as a “friend” in season 4 before becoming an official cast member once again in season 5. On Tuesday, November 11, Bravo released the midseason trailer for The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. In one scene, Mary appears to invite the cast to church for worship. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Mary denied allegations that her church was a cult. “They’ve been saying that since my grandmother started the church. They say that about pretty much every church. It’s no cult,” she said in January 2021. “I was taught church should be a place where love always flows.” Mary continued, “Once people know me — my church members — they know those are false allegations. It’s, like, ridiculous. Clearly I’m not going to get on national television, be a Housewife and be in a cult. Come on, no. I believe in my church.” As for allegations that she lives off money given to her church, Mary slammed the claims. “I have intelligent church members … and they’re not just going to give me God’s money, and I’m not going to take it,” she said. “I would never do that. I’m so not in it for the money. I believe in what I do. I believe in what I’m saying. I love my church and I love what’s there.” The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
