Mary Cosby gets her moment of holy triumph in this week’s episode of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” as she preaches for the first time in two years at the reopening of her Faith Temple Pentecostal Church.
Other cast members get to experience the exuberance and energy of Mary’s church, as the music is pumping and people are jumping and dancing as Mary picks up her gold-colored microphone to speak.
Mary’s big day is tempered with some sadness, over her son Robert Jr.’s continued struggle with substance abuse.
Before the opening, Mary takes Robert Jr. on a tour of the remodeled church, and they talk about his time in rehab. Robert talks about a conversation he had in Alcoholics Anonymous about finding his “higher power.”
“I already knew what my higher power was,” Robert Jr. told Mary. “You need God.”
In a confessional, Mary says, “Opening these church doors will help Robert, and whoever is in need.”
But on the morning of the church’s opening, Robert Jr. isn’t there. Mary tells her assistant that when they get in the car to head to church, “he was high.” So Mary told him not to come.
“Today is not his time, and today is not for him,” Mary says in a confessional. “I need to keep believing and trusting that his time will come. And when it does, he’ll be ready.”
(Natalie Cass | Bravo) Angie Katsanevas, Heather Gay, Whitney Rose and Bronwyn Newport, from left, attend the reopening of Mary Cosby's Faith Temple Pentecostal Church, in an episode of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
Could Robert Jr.’s struggle help others?
Robert Jr.’s battle with substance abuse, and Mary’s support of her son, have been significant plot points in Season 5 and now in Season 6.
Seeing celebrities talking openly about addiction may help others going through similar struggles, an expert at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute said.
If public figures “are talking about the struggles they faced in addiction in a way that is humanizing the condition — talking about it from a disease standpoint, as a health issue, and not being a moral failure,” it can raise awareness of addiction in society overall, said Dr. Keerthi Vejerla, medical director of the Huntsman institute’s addiction recovery services.
Such awareness can have negative effects, Vejerla said.
“Glamorizing addiction or substance use can be particularly harmful in teens and young adults,” she said. “So can normalizing risky behaviors that come with substance use.”
Also, she said, “when a celebrity relapses, and portraying that as a failure rather than a process in recovery, that can reinforce shame, and make it harder for others to seek care.”
The stigma associated with addiction “is a major negative factor that affects people, and creates a barrier” in seeking treatment, Vejerla said. “It’s not being able to see addiction as a medical disease rather than something that’s a person’s choice. … They [feel] judged for that, that they’re weak.”
What can overcome that stigmatization, Vejerla said, is personal motivation — finding reasons to want to quit substance abuse that outweigh the stigma.
Finding that motivation doesn’t always happen all at once, she said. “We often don’t see them asking for help right away,” she said. “It’s more about finding a safe space to share what they’re doing and what’s been happening.”
“Addiction comes with a lot of shame, a negative sense of self, like ‘I did something wrong,’” Vejerla continued. “It’s good if the environment they’re bringing it up is non-judgmental and can empathize with them. That’s how [recovery] usually starts.”
If you or someone you know is dealing with substance abuse, consider contacting the Huntsman Mental Health Institute’s addiction recovery services, at 801-583-2500. You can also call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, by dialing 988.
(Natalie Cass | Bravo) Bronwyn Newport attends the reopening of Mary Cosby's Faith Temple Pentecostal Church, in an episode of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
Controversies over Mary’s church
At the end of this week’s episode, the other full-fledged “Real Housewives” cast members (minus “friend” Britani Bateman) gather to attend the reopening of Faith Temple. One, however, isn’t sure how she’ll be accepted.
Driving to the church together, Whitney Rose tells Heather Gay she’s not sure where she and Mary stand in terms of religion. Whitney attended Faith Temple early in the series, but she also raised questions four years ago about whether Mary’s church is a cult.
By the end of the episode, Whitney and the others are dancing and praying with the rest of Mary’s congregation — and, at the end of the service, Mary leads the other cast members in a group hug.
“Mary is magic,” Angie Katsanevas says in a confessional, and watching her preach “is like a spiritual experience.”
This week’s episode, with its positive portrayal of Faith Temple and revisiting the cult accusations, is timely. Just last week, rival network TLC announced it will air a documentary about Mary’s church on Jan. 1. The title: “The Cult of the Real Housewife.”
The 10th episode of Season 6 of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” is scheduled to air on Bravo next Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 8 p.m. Eastern time — 6 p.m. Mountain time on DirecTV and Dish, and 9 p.m. Mountain time on Xfinity. (The show streams the next day on Peacock.)