The newest Real Housewives show will take fans of the cult favorite Bravo reality series to the intrigue of Salt Lake City, where we'll get to meet some of the fabulously wealthy women of the city's elite community. As one would expect for Salt Lake City, many of the cast members of RHSLC are current or former members of the Mormon community, but new Housewife Mary Cosby isn't part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She's got her own church in the area, and the story of how she became its First Lady is wild, to say the least.
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Cosby is the proud First Lady of Faith Temple Pentecostal Church. The church was founded years ago by her grandmother Dr. Rosemary Redmon Cosby, who led the spirited Salt Lake City congregation until her death in 1997. At the time of her passing, Dr. Cosby left a massive multi-million-dollar fortune (amassed by her church, different restaurants, and more) behind.
The scramble for the inheritance began shortly after the matriarch's death, with the late reverend's family fighting to get their hands on her empire. Her daughter Rosalind Cazares alleged that Dr. Cosby's then-husband Robert Cosby Sr. had played a part in her death in order to inherit her millions. She also accused her mother's husband of forging documents to claim Dr. Cosby’s property and was subsequently awarded more than $1 million in damages by a local jury. Ultimately though, Dr. Cosby's inheritance went to her granddaughter. But there was a catch: Mary would have to marry her step-grandfather (who is 20 years her senior) to come into the fortune.
It's important to stress that Mary and her husband were only related by marriage, not by blood — Robert was the pastor's second husband, so everything is technically kosher. Nonetheless, the unconventional relationship evidently didn't bother Mary too much because she married her step-grandfather more than twenty years ago. The spouses are raising a teenage son together and are currently serving as the recognized leaders of Faith Temple.
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It's a given that Mary's personal life will be of great interest to her RHSLC cast mates and fans alike this season, but based on the teaser of the new series, this Housewife is more than prepared to live her truth for the world to see.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City premieres Nov. 11 at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.