Mary Cosby church controversy explained as Heather Gay confirms her return to RHOSLC

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC) has always brought in drama for its viewers. After Jen Shah went to prison, fans wondered whether Mary Cosby would return to the show in the upcoming season.

At a book launch event for The Bad Mormon, the book's author Heather Gay confirmed Mary’s return. When one of the fans asked if the former cast member was going to return, Heather said:

"Yes. All of it, yes.”

Mary, who skipped season three, is one of the OG housewives of the show. Since the first season, her storyline has revolved around controversies related to her marriage and church.

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Mary Cosby was accused of running a cult

In season 2 of RHOSLC, rumors spread that Mary Cosby ran a cult at her church Faith Temple Pentecostal. According to reports, allegations were made by her extended family members and many former churchgoers.

She used to allegedly address herself as “God.”

At the RHOSLC season two reunion, co-star Lisa Barlow spoke about what their common friend, the late Cameron Williams, once told her. Cameron had said that he mortgaged his house for Mary's church when he was a part of that congregation.

Agreeing with Lisa, another cast member, Whitney Rose, added:

"Mary’s congregation definitely believes that she’s God...he [Cameron] told me that he had a relationship with her.”

Although Mary didn't attend the reunion, she later denied all the allegations.

Mary's lifestyle has always been portrayed as luxurious and expensive. With an estimated net worth of $5 million, Mary was always seen wearing designer labels on RHOSLC. She even once gifted her co-stars $1,300 worth of Louboutins.

Apparently, her wealth came from her late grandmother, Dr. Rosemary Redmon “Mama” Cosby. She founded the church congregation in 1960 and later passed it down to Mary, along with a massive fortune.

Although Mama Cosby left a sizable amount of money for Mary, she had only one condition. To get the fortune, the RHOSLC star had to marry her step-grandfather, Robert C. Cosby. On the show, her marriage was one of the controversies she had to deal with.

Mary explained in the Bravo series that she was not related to Robert by blood. The couple has a son named Robert Cosby Jr.

Throughout seasons one and two, Mary either created drama or was always a part of it. Since her exit, fans have been disappointed with Bravo. Hence, the news of her return has left them thrilled.

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Heather Gay slammed Bravo for not showing her “black eye” footage in RHOSLC

At the book launch event, Heather Gay not only confirmed Mary’s comeback to RHOSLC but also slammed Bravo for a “bad edit” of her storyline.

Towards the last couple of episodes of season two, Heather grabbed viewers’ attention with her “black eye” incident that occurred during the ladies’ San Diego trip. Heather kept dragging the topic till the last minute and didn’t reveal what exactly happened.

In the season three reunion, she explained that she didn’t remember due to being drunk. Her explanation received backlash from cast members and fans as investigations were conducted by Bravo. Heather mentioned at the time that she was embarrassed to admit that the infamous black eye was the result of too much alcohol.

In her recent book launch event, she stated that Bravo didn’t show the footage of the incident. A fan asked her about the particular storyline and in response, Heather said:

“The black eye edit, I thought, was so messy and so weird, and so much was happening outside the scenes that just didn’t track, and it was stupid. I blacked out!”

She continued:

“But there was [sic] cameras everywhere, and they should have footage of it, and I don’t know why they’re not showing it.”

Meanwhile, Heather will return for season four of RHOSLC alongside Mary Cosby, Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose, Angie Harrington, and Angie Katsanevas.

The release date is yet to be announced.