Mary Cosby is back in the headlines, and this time it’s not for her glamorous outfits or Bravo drama. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star and her husband, Robert Cosby Sr., are at the center of a new docuseries, The Cult of the Real Housewife, which makes explosive claims about the couple and their leadership of Salt Lake City’s Faith Temple Pentecostal Church.
The show alleges that the church, started by Mary’s grandmother, was transformed under Mary and Robert Sr. into something resembling a cult — and some of the stories are downright shocking.
One of the most jaw-dropping allegations comes from Mary’s own cousin, Dan Cosby, who says that Mary had an affair with a former congregant named Cameron Williams.
According to Dan, Cameron told him over the phone that Mary came to his house, asked him to play music, and then “grabbed his hand and began rubbing her.” Dan said Cameron claimed they “had sex,” a story that reportedly was also told to other former church members. Cameron passed away in 2021, and Mary has not publicly responded to these claims.
Financial manipulation is another theme that emerges repeatedly in the series. Several former members say that Mary and Robert Sr. pressured the congregation into giving “heave offerings,” donations that allegedly increased in size and frequency over time. Rosalind Enoch, a former member, claims that emergency meetings would demand huge sums — sometimes $100,000 — with ushers blocking the doors so nobody could leave until the money was collected.
“It was a lot. This money is getting bigger and bigger,” she said, recalling that some members cashed out 401(k)s or risked losing their homes to meet the demands.
The allegations also include physical abuse of younger boys in the church. Dan described a program known as “the brotherhood,” where Robert Sr. and other elders held weekly meetings for young male congregants. Initially framed as lessons in manhood, Dan says the activities escalated into military-style drills that lasted all day, and that pins were even stuck under the boys’ knees to keep them compliant. The docuseries shows that Mary’s grandmother, Rosemary, eventually put a stop to these meetings.
Mary’s own past is also called into question. Former congregants portray her as a rebellious troublemaker growing up — allegedly running away from home, stealing her sister’s car, and being “disfellowshipped,” Faith Temple’s term for excommunication, because she “was doing stuff that was bringing reproach on the church.” Denise Jefferson Odinaka, Mary’s sister, claimed that some of Mary’s stories about her grandmother arranging her marriage to Robert Sr. and leaving her the church inheritance were untrue, suggesting Mary began spending time with Robert only after Rosemary’s death.
Finally, the docuseries alleges that Mary and Robert Sr. expected some members to work for free in their household for years. Rosalind said she served as a personal assistant and housekeeper for five years without pay, while other members faced verbal abuse, including being told they would “work here until you die … and you’re going to hell” if they refused. Another congregant, Pat Tunson, reportedly endured mistreatment in the household until her death in 2024 at age 81.
Mary Cosby has previously called the documentary “sad and a shame” and said, “It’s horrible, that’s what I think. And it’s not true,” but she has not directly addressed the specific claims in the series. Whether the allegations are accurate or exaggerated, The Cult of the Real Housewife paints a dark and controversial picture of Mary Cosby and her time running Faith Temple, leaving viewers stunned and buzzing with questions about what really happened behind closed doors.
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