*TLC’s docuseries “The Cult of the Real Housewife” investigates “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Mary Cosby and the church she shares with her husband, Robert Cosby Sr. The three-part series elevates the voices of ex-congregants speaking out for the first time, including Mary’s cousin Dan Cosby and his wife Kim, who sat down for an exclusive interview about their decision to participate.
When asked what they hope viewers learn from the docuseries, Kim emphasized the importance of truth. “I think she came right out of the gate, her and Robert, doing a lot of insinuations that this was Mama’s will. And we know it wasn’t,” Kim said, referring to Mary’s grandmother, Rosemary “Mama” Cosby, who founded Faith Temple.
Kim explained that Mary’s claim about her grandmother’s will was what motivated them to speak publicly. “Mary was married at the time. Mama would not have told her before she left that you are supposed to marry Robert,” she stated. “It’s a flat-out lie.”
For Kim, the misrepresentation of Faith Temple extends beyond family disputes to the very foundation of the church. “The way Mary portrays Faith Temple in the show is offensive to what Mama started,” she said. Kim expressed hope that current congregants would “feel the freedom spiritually that they could feel” and emphasized her message: “Find God for yourself.”
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Dan’s motivation for participating centered on establishing the docuseries’ credibility and helping others recognize cult behavior. “I wanted people to know that this docu-series by TLC was after the truth,” he explained. He recalled Mary’s initial claim about her grandmother’s will, saying his instinct told him “that’s a lie from the pit, and that came from Satan himself.”
When asked directly if Faith Temple operates as a cult, Kim didn’t hesitate. “I absolutely believe that it is a cult. One of the main things I know about cults is the control,” she said. “You don’t get to think on your own. And if you don’t think or don’t fall in line, per se, then you’re not going to heaven, you’re going to hell.”
The docuseries features disturbing claims from former congregants, all of which Dan stands behind completely. “It’s all true. What they’re saying, no one’s lying,” he stated. “I witnessed it at times. Kim witnessed at times. The things that took place, the entire church witnessed it.”
Dan specifically addressed Mary’s explanation about her first marriage, which she discussed on “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.” “She mentions they separated for irreconcilable differences. Not true. The whole church witnessed the truth,” he said.
The marriage between Mary and her step-grandfather, Robert Cosby Sr, has drawn intense public attention. Dan explained the narrative they presented following Mama Cosby’s death: Mary had been disfellowshipped from the church, and Robert allegedly needed comfort. “So all of a sudden, mysteriously, they have what’s in the series, that they were supposed to get married, that Mama put in the will that they were supposed to get married. That is not true,” Dan said.
Dan recalled Robert asking various church members if God was speaking to them about the marriage. “And of course, he came up to me with this nonsense. And I said, absolutely not. That is weird, because Mama wouldn’t have worked that way,” he stated.
The docuseries traces Faith Temple’s history from its founding by Rosemary “Mama” Cosby through the contentious transfer of leadership after her passing. It features recordings of controversial sermons delivered by Mary and Robert Cosby Sr., as well as extensive archival footage from the church’s early days. When asked why these stories took so long to emerge, Dan credited Cameron, another former congregant featured in the series. “He said to me, he would have taken this to his grave,” Dan revealed. He explained that Cameron only came forward because “he feared his life, and what was happening to him at that time… he went and bought guns. He had to protect himself.”
Kim attributed the silence to fear instilled in congregants. “I truly believe a lot is fear,” she said. “And that’s, again, why I attribute it to truly a cult.” She contrasted this with Mama Cosby’s teachings: “Mama didn’t teach us that God, and we know the Bible speaks of a fear of God, but not that kind of fear.”
Kim emphasized that the fear cultivated at Faith Temple was different from biblical teachings. “Fear of God should make you go towards God, you fear him, and you want to get closer to God, not you’re silent, and you obey. That’s where I think they got away with it, is fear,” she explained.
Both Dan and Kim vouched for the docuseries’ accuracy. “It’s all just 100% true, nothing was misrepresented,” Kim said. She noted that although time constraints limited the number of directly impacted individuals who could appear, “there’s plenty of evidence, and plenty of witnesses.”
Kim clarified their intentions in participating: “We don’t have ill will towards Robert and Mary. This is more about clearing Mama’s name and showing that-that is not the kind of church she started.” She praised episode two, which explores Mama Cosby’s history, noting that Mary and Robert “literally destroyed the beautiful legacy of holiness and righteousness and living for God that Mama started.”
The docuseries also features investigative journalists and bloggers who have tracked the story, as well as a cult expert who offers insight into mind-control tactics designed to enforce loyalty. The series aims to answer an enduring question: How have Mary and Robert Cosby Sr. managed to avoid accountability for so long?
If given the chance to speak to Mary Cosby directly, Kim’s message would be simple: “I would say, let the people go, go do what you want to do, but let the people go, let them find God for themselves.” She added an alternative: “or you get ahold of God for real and actually follow in your grandmother’s footsteps, truly follow, do what she would do because you’re doing the opposite of what Mama would have done and what Mama taught you.”
Dan’s message was equally direct. “God knows, and everybody knows the truth. Remember that, and remember Mama’s words because it was all truth,” he said.
“The Cult of the Real Housewife” is now available on TLC and streaming on HBO Max and discovery+, offering viewers an unprecedented look inside Faith Temple through the testimony of those closest to the story.
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