- - Who Is “RHOSLC” Star Mary Cosby's Husband? All About Robert Cosby Sr. (and Why She Calls Their Marriage ‘Arranged’)

McKinley Franklin, Emily BlackwoodJanuary 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM

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Mary Cosby on 'Watch What Happens Live.' ; Robert Sr. Cosby on 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.' -

Mary Cosby has been married to Robert Cosby Sr. since September 1998

The couple wed a year after her grandmother — who was married to Robert Sr. — died

Cosby and Robert Sr., who are not biologically related, share one child

Mary M. Cosby has been candid about her unique relationship with husband, Robert Cosby Sr., who was her grandmother's second husband.

The couple wed on Sept. 28, 1998, in Chicago, a year after her grandmother died. During the first season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, she revealed their marriage was “arranged” as “it was kind of in my grandma's will for us to marry.”

Following their nuptials, Mary became the first lady of the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church, a title passed down to her from her grandmother. Their church has long been the subject of cult and financial misconduct allegations, which are detailed in the TLC docuseries The Cult of The Real Housewife.

Robert Sr. hasn't commented on the allegations, but Mary denied them in a January 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight. “Clearly I’m not gonna get on national television, be a Housewife and be in a cult," she said. "Like, come on. I believe in my church. There’s no cult. My church members, they know those are false allegations. Those are ridiculous. It’s the people that are looking for fault.”

A few years after their wedding, Mary and Robert Sr. welcomed their son, Robert Cosby Jr., in 2005. During his appearance on the show's season 1 reunion, the bishop praised Mary as a "great" mother and wife.

“I love her,” Robert Sr. told Andy Cohen and the Salt Lake City cast in the February 2021 episode. “I understand we've had our ups and downs. Hey, you've been married 22 years, how in the world can you not get along?”

So who is Mary Cosby's husband? Here's everything to know about Robert Cosby Sr. and his relationship with the reality TV star.

He’s a bishop of the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church

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Mary Cosby and Robert Cosby Sr. on 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.'

Based out of Salt Lake City, Mary and Robert Sr. are active leaders of the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church. Founded by her grandmother, the late Dr. Rosemary Redmon Cosby, Robert Sr. serves as a bishop alongside Mary as first lady.

Robert Sr. joined Mary during the season 1 RHOSLC reunion and sang praise to his wife for being “more than a first lady” at their church, citing her as a “co-pastor” and his “equal.” His sentiments moved Mary to tears, with her admitting that she felt “touched” by him calling her “his equal.”

He was originally married to Mary’s grandmother

Robert Sr. was previously Mary's step-grandfather and, therefore, not biological kin, she clarified during confessional moments on the show.

Mary’s grandmother was steadfast in her granddaughter marrying her husband after she died, partly because she wanted Mary to step into her shoes.

“Before she passed, she made it very clear that she wanted me to be the one to take her place in the church and inherit everything,” the RHOSLC star explained. “That came with homes, money, our church and also marrying her husband.”

Mary has been candid about the unconventional way she met her husband, saying in a November 2020 episode of RHOSLC, "Don't think it wasn't weird, because it was!"

Mary and Robert Sr. got married in Chicago

Chad Kirkland/Bravo Mary Cosby in a portrait for 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' season 1

The couple wed on Sept. 28, 1998, at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago. After being together for decades, Mary told PEOPLE in September 2024 that she values her “friendship” with Robert Sr. that often comes first, "before our relationship, before our marriage.”

“I love that Robert is a hard worker,” she said. “He's not lazy. He's a bishop and he lives to that. I love that he respects me, I respect him. He finds pleasure in buying me gifts, and he buys me the most beautiful things."

They share one son together

mary cosby/Instagram

Mary Cosby with her son Robert Cosby Jr.

Mary and Robert Sr. welcomed their son, Robert Jr., in 2005. While Robert Sr. mostly steers clear of the RHOSLC cameras, Robert Jr. has been featured on the show alongside his mother on numerous occasions, including when he admitted he’d been secretly married for a year during season 4.

“They both live in my house,” Mary admitted in a confessional interview about her son and his wife. “But I don’t see them much. And one day like, they were getting dressed. He was rushing to go do something and he was dressed up nice and she was dressed up nice."

She continued, "But they were running full-blown — running like with all their might, but I didn't know they were going to go get married.”

In a vulnerable moment in season 5, Robert Jr. also opened up to Mary about his struggle with drug addiction and suicidal ideation.

They have several homes across the U.S.

After Mary’s grandmother passed, she left her with five homes across the U.S., though she and Robert Sr. primarily reside in their Salt Lake City home. Her extravagant house has been featured on RHOSLC over the years, defined by her Tiffany blue kitchen and colorful furniture pieces.

“When my grandmother left, she left me her empire: homes, churches, daycares, a mortgage company, restaurants,” Mary revealed during season 1. “Including her husband. So Robert Sr. does love checking on all of the homes that we own.”

He doesn’t want to appear on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

Natalie Cass/Bravo via Getty

Mary Cosby in THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF SALT LAKE CITY, Season 5

Before Mary joined the cast of the Real Housewives series, Robert Sr. was “hesitant” about her appearing on the show.

At the season 1 reunion, he admitted he doesn’t “like people messing with my wife at all” and was upset that her costars thought “we got married just for the money.”

Mary later famously opted out of attending the season 2 RHOSLC reunion following speculation about her religion by her castmates, she took a hiatus before returning to the show as a "friend" in season 4 and a full-time housewife in season 5.

Though she’s since made amends with the ladies, her husband hasn’t been keen on being on TV again.

During an October 2024 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Mary admitted Robert Sr. was holding a “grudge” against RHOSLC but could very well “show his face” in the future.

The Salt Lake City housewife clarified that her husband wasn’t upset with Cohen and that he “loves” the executive producer but doesn’t “trust” the rest of production.

“He’s good. He’s a man, and they hold grudges,” she explained. “But once he gets over his grudge-holding, he’ll be better.”

Despite her husband’s absence on RHOSLC, Mary told PEOPLE in September 2024 that she was “happy to be back” and had “no regrets” not reuniting with the women during the show’s second season reunion.

“Filming was like a whirlwind all over again, but it was a great experience because I formed real friendships this time around,” she added.

He was accused of pressuring congregants for large donations

In TLC's docuseries The Cult of The Real Housewife, multiple ex-congregants of the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church accused Mary and Robert Sr. of financial misconduct. Rosalind Enoch told filmmakers that the couple created something called "heave offerings," held every six months.

"It started to increase over time," she said. "We could’ve just had a heave offering meeting and then in another week or two we’re having another meeting where we’re being told there’s an emergency and they need $100,000 and they need it by Thursday."

Enoch added, "The worst announcement you could hear when you walked into that church is, ’Tell everybody don’t leave. We need to have an emergency saints meeting.’ You knew it was going to be about money."

She also claimed that Robert Sr. would "instruct ushers to stand at the doors" during these meetings at the church, essentially barricading people inside.

"During this meeting, everyone put their name and their amount on the list," Enoch said. "If you didn’t have a certain amount, Robert would say, ‘That’s all you have?’ I mean, there’s nothing spiritual about that, right?"

Neither Mary nor Robert Sr. has commented on the specific claims made in the docuseries. However, the reality TV star called the project "sad and a shame" in November 2025.

"It’s horrible, that’s what I think," she said at BravoCon 2025. "And it’s not true.”

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”