The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is currently in the midst of its second season. The second season has the original cast from season 1, along with newcomer Jennie Nguyen. Although all of the housewives are entertaining and have great storylines, Mary Cosby takes the cake for being one of the more mysterious housewives.
With a shocking family history and a job as the Pentecostal First Lady for her own congregation, Mary's background doesn't just have housewives questioning her; she has fans questioning her as well on Reddit. Mary has had some humorous moments in the series, but she's also said and done things that have fans scratching their heads about the real Mary Cosby.
Why Is Mary Even On The Show?
Gullible-Sort9161 asked Reddit a fair question, "Why is Mary Cosby on RHOSLC?" Throughout the show's two seasons, Mary has seemed disinterested in the cast and their activities. The Redditor continued saying, "[Mary] seems to dislike everything they do, everywhere they go and almost everyone on the cast."
With that being the case, why is Mary a part of a TV show if she has no genuine connection to anyone in the group? Mary's zodiac sign is Libra, which could be why she's so refined, holding herself to a higher standard than the other women.
How Is Mary So Wealthy?
As the First Lady of the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church, Mary Cosby has made a living in the church. In season 1, Mary noted that her grandmother was a wealthy woman who made her riches from her church's empire. From there, her grandmother went on to open restaurants, daycare centers, and other local businesses to give jobs to the community.
It's a rather unpopular opinion to believe everything Mary says about her family's wealth because some of the stories are so outlandish. Popculture92 asked Reddit how Mary "was so rich" and fans chimed in. Rumors have been circulating in Salt Lake City about Mary asking "members of her church to donate a ridiculous amount" to fund the lifestyle she created for herself. But Mary has denied those claims on TV and has said it's family money.
What's The Deal With Mary & Robert Sr.?
RHOSLC fans know the unique relationship between Mary and Robert Senior. In season 1, Mary told the cameras that when her grandmother was on her death bed, she asked her husband, Robert, to marry her step-granddaughter Mary to keep the church in the family. This created tons of RHOSLC memes because the situation was so unconventional.
In season 2, Mary and Robert Sr.'s marriage seems strained. She admitted that he spends the majority of his time in Florida, while she stays in Salt Lake City. One Redditor questioned Mary's situation, writing, "We all know why Mary married the step-grandfather, but it has made me even more curious about her past."
Mary's Entire Dynamic With Her Cousin
In the first season, Mary introduced one of her caretakers, Charlinda. As it turned out, Charlinda is Mary's cousin and for the past 20 years, she has been employed to help around the house. In a confessional, Mary admitted that although they were family, she doesn't know much about Charlinda and doesn't care to.
EnjoyT0day wanted to know, "What was the deal with Mary mentioning that she pays her cousin/maid’s rent?" Some theorized that instead of paying Charlinda, Mary worked out a deal where she'd pay for her rent instead, or Charlinda lived with Mary for free and worked for her because of that. According to Yahoo!, Charlinda moved out of Mary's house after the show's premiere and no longer works for her.
Does Mary Understand Why The Women Are Hesitant To Be Close With Her?
In season 2 of RHOSLC, Mary found herself in a predicament when the group questioned her ties to her church and if the rumors of her running a cult were true. When an argument in the group arose, the women treated Mary with kid gloves out of fear of how she would react.
Thanks4Distraction asked Reddit, "Do you think Mary is unaware how what she says is off-putting?" The example the Redditor mentions is the time Mary insulted one of her churchgoers for his weight gain. Likewise, the storyline surrounding an ex-church member, Cameron Williams, has also raised some red flags for the women, making them take a step back from their friendship with Mary.
Why Is Meredith Defending Mary?
Despite the rumors surrounding Mary's church, the insulting text messages she sent Whitney, and lying to Jen about what she said about her behind her back, Meredith Marks defends Mary without batting an eye.
When Reddit fans questioned why Meredith was blindly following Mary, PopItPopIt149 wrote, "Meredith, like a lot of Housewives, seems to have an 'If you’re nice to me I don’t care what you do to other people' line of thinking." Another fan, InsuredByCoto agreed, writing, "Meredith went from having the high ground [with] Jennifer Shah to being absolutely deranged defending Mary."
Why is Mary Bullying Whitney About Plastic Surgery?
There are some housewives who have admitted to plastic surgeries that they've had. Mary, however, hasn't touched base on her plastic surgery claims, but she has mentioned the long process of having her odor glands removed, as noted by Bravo.
In one episode, Mary sent Whitney a scathing text message that insulted the way she looked and judged her for getting plastic surgery. ACatMags questioned if it was normal behavior for a "45-year-old woman to just send unsolicited texts, picking apart in a very cruel manner another woman’s face"? UnluckyCharm_13 also shared a throwback photo of Mary, showcasing how different Mary looked then versus now.
Mary & The Relationship She Has With Her Son
Fans of The Real Housewives adore the kids that they've watched grow up on the show. In Robert Jr.'s case, he was in high school when viewers were introduced to Mary Cosby and her life, but fans still want good things for him.
Robert Jr. isn't shown often on RHOSLC, but when he is, he and his mom aren't connecting like her cast members and their kids. Beyleesi wanted to know if Robert and Mary's scenes were awkward because it's a "teenager thing" or if they really were that disconnected. Fans defended Robert, with MissHellaCool feeling "bad" for him because of his apparent issues with his mom off-screen.
Why Didn't They Keep Mary As A "Friend" Of The Series?
It's been noted that Mary Cosby was originally supposed to be a friend of the series instead of a regular cast member. Friends of the series aren't in every scene, but are a part of most events and are included in the larger storylines. Considering how negatively Mary seems to view the show, perhaps being a friend of the series would be a better fit for her than being a full-time housewife.
Anonn44_ asked Reddit if Mary was "Just on the show to draw attention to the franchise with her [...] marriage?" because she wasn't always enthused with what the group was doing.