Who Is Mary Cosby’s Husband? All About the ‘Real Housewives’ Star’s Unique Marriage
What To Know
- Mary Cosby stars in Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
- Her unique marriage to Robert Cosby Sr. is viewed as controversial by many.
- TLC’s docuseries, The Cult of the Real Housewife, follows Cosby and her husband’s church.
TLC’s three-part docuseries, The Cult of the Real Housewife, premieres on January 1, investigating the life (and marriage) of Mary Cosby as part of her church, Faith Temple Pentecostal Church. If you’ve seen the commercials for the docuseries or followed her on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, then you’ll know that Mary Cosby’s relationship is no typical marriage.
“With claims of spiritual and financial misconduct circling Cosby and the church, The Church of the Real Housewife unpacks the allegations behind the headlines and reveals the darker and more unsettling truth,” TLC’s synopsis read. Since the announcement, Mary has made it clear that she is not associated with the docuseries, going as far as to say, “I think it’s sad and a shame. It’s horrible, that’s what I think.”
Scroll to find out everything you need to know about Mary Cosby, her husband, Robert Cosby Sr., their son, and how her family, some of whom will be in the documentary, feel about their unorthodox connection.
Who is Mary Cosby’s husband?
Mary Cosby is married to Robert Cosby Sr., the Bishop of Faith Temple Pentecostal Church in Utah. During Season 1 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, she told viewers, “We were kind of a, I would say, an arranged marriage. It was kind of in my grandma’s will for us to marry.” Her husband further explained, “She said, ‘If anything ever happens to me, Bobby, I want you to marry one of my girls because they’ll look out for you,'”
This is to say that Mary’s grandmother, Rosemary “Mama” Cosby, who founded Faith Temple Pentecostal Church in 1968, told her husband to marry one of her daughters or granddaughters after she died, ensuring that her granddaughter, Mary, and husband (their step-father/grandfather), Robert, would be wed. In 1998, they fulfilled their promise, and Mary married her step-grandfather. Mary’s words to anyone uncomfortable with their marriage? “They’ll get over it. Just digest it.”
She was previously married to a man named Dana Harris. There is very little information about their relationship.
Do Mary and Robert Cosby Sr. have kids?
Mary and Robert Sr. have a 23-year-old son named Robert Jr. On December 4, NBC reported that Robert Jr. had been arrested and pleaded guilty to assault and violating a protective order. Court documents alleged that Robert Jr. had more than a dozen charges stemming from incidents from September to November related to violations of orders to stay away from his wife, Alexiana Smokoff.
In November, after a prior arrest, Mary told People, “It was for his good. I think he needed that. He’s never encountered anything like that. He’s never been through anything like that. I don’t mind it. It hurt me at the time. I was devastated, I was worried, I was scared. But some things happen for a reason to show you the path you’re on. I feel like he needed that and that he understands that that’s the wrong journey.”
Does Mary Cosby’s family approve of her marriage?
Mary’s late grandmother was in favor of her union with Robert Sr., but it’s clear that other members of her family don’t love their arrangement. When Mary and Robert tied the knot, Mary’s mother, Rosalind Cazares, told The Salt Lake City Tribune, “It hurts me so bad I’m just sick to my stomach. It takes my strength.”
The Cult of the Real Housewife, January 1 at 8/7c, TLC
