A documentary series that promises to “pull back the salacious headlines and social media takes” about “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Mary Cosby and her Faith Temple Pentecostal Church is coming to TV screens in the new year.
“The Cult of the Real Housewife,” a three-part “special event,” is scheduled to air on TLC on Jan. 1, the network announced Wednesday.
The series, according to a news release, “unpacks the allegations behind the headlines and reveals the darker and more unsettling truth.” The series will look into claims of “spiritual and financial” misconduct involving the church, the release said.
Faith Temple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did a spokesperson for Bravo, which produces “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.”
The documentary, TLC said, features interviews with former congregants of Faith Temple, as well as family members — including Mary Cosby’s sister, Denise Jefferson Odinaka, and Mary’s cousin, Dan Cosby, and Dan’s wife, Kim.
Also interviewed, the release said, are “investigative reporters and bloggers” and “a leading cult expert who can offer insight around a playbook designed to enforce loyalty in mind-control cults.”
The series will also include archival material from Faith Temple’s early days, and recordings of what TLC called “controversial” sermons by both Robert Cosby Sr. and Mary Cosby, the release said.
The Faith Temple was founded in 1968 by Mary Cosby’s grandmother, Rosemary “Mama” Cosby. When Mama Cosby died in 1997, a legal dispute arose between Mama Cosby’s widower, Robert Cosby Sr., and Mama Cosby’s grown children about the estate, The Salt Lake Tribune reported at the time. Robert Cosby Sr. married Mary, his step-granddaughter, in late 1998, and they took over operations of the church.
According to TLC’s release, “This hotly contested bequeathment pushed Faith Temple into a controversial, new era.”
Mary Cosby became a lightning rod for criticism when “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” launched in the fall of 2020, for her abrasive opinions and the questions surrounding her marriage to her step-grandfather. She was also criticized for comments about cast member Jen Shah that were considered racist, and for which she later apologized.
Mary Cosby skipped the show’s reunion at the end of Season 2, and did not return for Season 3. She was billed as a “friend” in Season 4, and regained full status in Season 5 — which featured a storyline involving her son, Robert Jr., and his struggles with substance abuse.
In 2024, Mary Cosby, her husband and their church sued two executives of the church’s business arm, accusing them of embezzling millions from the company and the church. That lawsuit remains pending.