When “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” returns for Season 3, one of the original cast members almost certainly won’t be back. And, no, it’s not the one facing federal fraud and money laundering charges.
Mary Cosby, who has been criticized on the show both for making multiple racist remarks and for allegedly scamming a member of her church out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, did not show up for taping of the Season 2 reunion episodes on Friday, according to Variety. Sources at the show confirmed that cast members are contractually obligated to take part in the reunion episodes.
(Season 2 was filmed in early 2021, and episodes are still airing Sunday nights on Bravo. The reunion episodes will air after the last of the Season 2 installments.)
Bravo did not comment on whether Cosby quit or if she was fired — or if she will be fired before filming begins on Season 3. (Officially, “RHOSLC” has not been renewed for a third season, although that renewal is expected.)
Cosby has not fully responded to allegations that she convinced Cameron Williams, a friend of fellow Housewife Lisa Barlow, to mortgage his house to give $300,000 to her Faith Temple Pentecostal Church. She has called his allegations “lies.” The allegations came against a backdrop of Cosby wallowing in rooms full of designer clothes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
She has been at the center of controversy on the show since it premiered in November 2020, both because she’s married to her step-grandfather and because of her ongoing conflicts with Jen Shah.
(Bravo) Mary Cosby on "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
She has been at the center of controversy on the show since it premiered in November 2020, both because she’s married to her step-grandfather and because of her ongoing conflicts with Jen Shah.
Shah has been charged with fraud and money laundering, but remained a cast member through the end of Season 2. “RHOSLC” cast members Heather Gay and Whitney Rose have speculated that Cosby may have somehow been involved in Shah’s arrest, although viewers have seen no evidence of that.
The first allegation of racism against Cosby, who is Black, came in Season 1. According to Shah, Cosby called her a “thug” and said that when she goes to a 7-Eleven “‘and I see Black people, I go to a different 7-Eleven.’” On the show, Cosby confirmed that she said that, although she later issued a denial.
[Read more: Was that racism on ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’? Here’s what experts say we can learn from it.]
In Season 2, Cosby is seen on video referring to Shah as a thug, and comparing her to “those Mexican people that make all those drugs.” After the episode aired, Cosby issued an apology claiming she “used poor judgment” and “was not trying to single out Mexican culture.”
(Bravo) Robert Cosby Sr. and Mary Cosby on "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City."
In other Season 2 episodes, Cosby commented on fellow Housewife Jennie Nguyen’s “slanted eyes” and mimicked her accent in an offensive manner. She apologized, but repeatedly refused to accept that she had done anything wrong, insisting that she had been complimenting Nguyen.
Reunion episodes of the various “Real Housewives” series are hosted by executive producer Andy Cohen, who uses the shows to question/confront cast members about things that happened during the season. And cast members confront each other.
Cosby apparently didn’t want to answer questions about her church or her racist behavior, according to Page Six. “She was terrified of getting grilled about her racist comments made toward Jennie [Nguyen] and Jen [Shah],” a source told the publication.
In Season 2 episodes, Cosby has repeatedly taken great offense to being called a liar, even though there’s video evidence that she has lied repeatedly — including when she denied making disparaging comments about Mexicans.
Her appearances on the show have prompted widespread speculation on social media about her church, and publications ranging from the Daily Beast to Page Six have published stories containing allegations from former church members that Cosby is running a cult. The Page Six source claimed Cosby also did not want to discuss that topic.
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