RHOSLC’s Mary Answers Burning Questions About Marriage to Step-Grandfather

In the hot seat! Mary Cosby answered burning questions about her marriage to her step-grandfather, Robert Sr. Cosby, during part two of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City reunion.

“Basically, Robert Sr. was 20 years younger than my grandmother. My grandmother felt like she robbed his youth. So, she said, ‘If something ever happens, I want you to marry one of my girls, because I know that they will be loyal to you and treat you good like you treated me,’” Mary told Andy Cohen on the Wednesday, February 17, episode.

The Bravo star added that before her grandmother died, she told Mary that she wanted her to “take her place” in their Pentecostal church.

“We felt like it was God’s will,” Mary said, noting that she and Robert Sr. “prayed” about their potential union before they walked down the aisle more than 20 years ago.

Mary’s unconventional marriage to Robert Sr., which she referred to as “arranged” at the reunion, has been a hot topic on RHOSLC since Bravo released the trailer for the new franchise in September 2020. She told Us Weekly last month that she was “not expecting” her relationship to draw so much attention in the teaser for season 1.

“That was more of a disappointment for me because I feel like social media is a place I don’t feel comfortable in,” Mary told Us on January 21. “I just said my truth and I was ready to air it. I felt like it was time and I felt like it was the right thing to do. … I mean, it is unconventional, but it’s not unheard of, I guess, in other countries.”

Mary, who shares son Robert Jr. with her husband, added that it took two or three years for the couple to evolve into a “loving relationship.”

She explained: “We were best friends. We traveled everywhere. We’ve seen everything together. And then I just, like, I really wanted a son. … We tried for a year and then I think that’s what I felt that I knew that this was my life, once I started having that craving for a mom and a family.”

Part three of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City reunion airs on Bravo Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. Scroll through for more insight into Mary’s marriage from part two of the RHOSLC reunion: