Yes, a Real Housewife Might Be Running a Cult in Disguise

The First Lady of the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church in Salt Lake City, Mary Cosby, has RHOSLC viewers asking a lot of questions. Mary Cosby’s story was already a bit sketchy due to the fact that she married her late grandmother’s husband, her step-grandfather, Robert Cosby, Sr. Once the two married, they took over all her late grandmother’s assets, including the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church.

However, the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church may not be what it seems (or it may be exactly what it seems, depending on how we’re looking at it). As the RHOSLC season has unfolded, more questions have arisen than answers about who Mary Cosby really is, and what the church she is a pastor at really believes in. The moment that set off red flags for most people was when she yelled at her congregation for not giving her enough birthday gifts in the form of money.

Mary lives a very luxurious lifestyle. She thrives on fashion and owns so many clothes that she actually bought a separate space to keep all her clothes in. She and her husband also own at least five properties, totaling about $10 million, so they have way more money than the average pastor and bishop. So, how does Mary Cosby fund her expensive lifestyle?

One Instagram account, Boredom by Bravo, did a ton of digging into Mary’s relationship to her church and her so-called “businesses.” She claims all her funds come from her businesses and not from the church, but none of those businesses seem to be successful. King’s Copies, which shares an address with the other church she now owns in Indiana, has just six reviews and a reportedly sham testimonial. 

Furthermore, her other businesses have supposed e-commerce aspects, but there are no products listed on their website. If these businesses were able to generate the millions of dollars Mary and Robert Cosby share, it shouldn’t be so hard to find information on them. So, is it possible that Mary and Robert get their money directly from the church?

Even though Mary Cosby denies it, it seems like a logical explanation. Reportedly, she and Robert frequently bring together members of the church to ask for “Love Gifts,” donations, tithes, and other forms of payment. One member of the church shared that they collect about $500K in “Love Gifts” at two separate events every year, and that does not include everything else collected throughout the year.

In addition, for about three years, Mary and Robert were completely absent from the church. During that time, Robert would call into church meetings, claiming that Mary was extremely sick and that they needed money. Later, many church members found out that Mary had been traveling to Europe on a private jet, and when she returned, her entire face, skin, and hair had been completely remodeled.

The final fishy thing about the money situation with the church and Mary Cosby is that they apparently haven’t even been open for the past year. Multiple congregants came forward to share that the church had been damaged during the earthquake that hit Utah, so Mary and Robert have been collecting funds through Paypal, Venmo, and other means to fund the rebuilding of the church. If that’s the case, where is this newly renovated church?

Unbeknownst to the current members of the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church, some are reporting that it is a cult. One of the signs of a cult is that the leader is extremely controlling.

According to anonymous congregants on Instagram (meaning that there is no way to fully verify this), Mary and Robert would control where their congregants were able to go. They would not be allowed to travel, even to somewhere nearby like Las Vegas, let alone out of the country. If they did, they would be shamed or kicked out of the church.  

In addition, Mary would often tell her female congregants that they were not allowed to get plastic surgery or dye their hair and that these acts were sinful. So, is Mary above the level of sin, since she herself has reportedly had plastic surgery and dyed her hair? She also travels all over and apparently does not play by the same rules as her congregants.

Many RHOSLC viewers are concerned for the members of Mary Cosby’s church. In the choir practice shown on-screen, some noticed that the choir members’ eyes were red and puffy, as if they had been crying. Many church members are also reportedly on food stamps or are forced to take out multiple mortgages, but “the church” continues to drain their money “in the name of God.”

Mary is also not too kind to her church members, and many recordings of her speaking to them have been leaked. She calls them “poor people” and mocks them for not giving enough money to the church. She also chastises them if they show even the smallest wavering of devotion to the church. Mary is confirmed for Season 2 of RHOSLC, so we’ll just have to wait to see then how deep this church cult goes.

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.