The three-part series, “The Cult of the Real Housewife<\/a>,” investigates Faith Temple Pentecostal Church, exploring claims of spiritual manipulation, financial pressure and emotional control that former members say unfolded behind closed doors.<\/p>\n The docuseries traces Faith Temple\u2019s roots to its founding by Rosemary “Mama” Cosby, Mary\u2019s grandmother, who was widely revered within the congregation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018REAL HOUSEWIVES\u2019 ALUM KIM ZOLCIAK ACCUSES ESTRANGED HUSBAND KROY BIERMANN OF CHEATING AS DIVORCE DRAGS ON<\/a><\/p>\n A former church member took out a $300,000 second mortgage on his home and gave the money to Mary Cosby, highlighting the alleged financial entanglements involved. (Koury Angelo\/Bravo via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Following the death of “Mama” Cosby, leadership of the church passed to her husband, Robert Cosby Sr. \u2014 Mary\u2019s step-grandfather \u2014 whose later marriage to Mary sparked controversy and marked what critics described as a dramatic shift in the church\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n Fox News Digital has reached out to Mary Cosby for comment.<\/p>\n Mary\u2019s cousin Dan Cosby told Fox News Digital that what he witnessed inside Faith Temple fundamentally altered his trust in church leadership.<\/p>\n “How he would do it, how he would use his form of authoritarian-style of leadership and how he would talk to other brothers in the church \u2026 pitting them against me or against other members,” Dan said, referring to Robert Cosby Sr. “I wasn’t the only one. There are others that left because they saw the writing on the wall.”<\/p>\n Dan said the behavior felt unpredictable and deeply unsettling, particularly because it often appeared calculated.<\/p>\n WATCH: \u2018REAL HOUSEWIVES\u2019 STAR RAN A CULT-LIKE CHURCH, FAMILY MEMBERS SAY<\/p>\n “There’s two sides of Robert\u2026 almost a double personality,” Dan said. “You just see his true form come out \u2014 a total Jekyll-and-Hyde \u2026 He would preach and actually call out people in the church and ridicule them \u2026 it was just embarrassing.”<\/p>\n Over time, Dan noted, the behavior escalated to public humiliation during church services.<\/p>\n \u2018REAL HOUSEWIVES\u2019 STAR MARY COSBY WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN FILMING FOR SALT LAKE CITY\u2019S SEASON 3: SOURCE<\/a><\/p>\n Mary married her step-grandfather Robert Cosby Sr. in 1998. (Charles Sykes\/Bravo via Getty Images)<\/p>\n “You were just afraid to leave. People were afraid of leaving,” he said. “This is detrimental to people.”<\/p>\n For Dan, his time at Faith Temple revealed what he describes as a disturbing pattern of abuse masked as spiritual guidance. He said that church leadership frequently exploited members\u2019 faith to enforce obedience and loyalty.<\/p>\n “You were just afraid to leave. People were afraid of leaving. This is detrimental to people.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Dan Cosby<\/p>\n In the docuseries, Dan alleged he endured physical punishments and witnessed abuse as a child \u2014 including kneeling on pins and needles and watching another child beaten. Robert Cosby Sr., a military veteran, is accused of shoving Dan during a prayer session, which Dan said became a turning point that prompted him to leave the church.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “To understand, I think that \u2018The Cult of the Real Housewife\u2019 points out trauma is real and that people will manipulate that and make you think that God is a certain way,” he told Fox News Digital. “They’ll put their own righteousness into what they believe.”<\/p>\n He cautioned that such manipulation can be subtle, making it hard for members to recognize that they are being exploited.<\/p>\n JOSH DUGGAR’S COUSIN RECALLS HAUNTING WORDS WHEN REALITY STAR WAS CONFRONTED WITH ABUSE ALLEGATIONS<\/a><\/p>\n “I think this is bringing light to \u2014 people could be in a cult and not even realize that they\u2019re in one,” he said.<\/p>\n Financial pressure was central to the alleged control, Dan said, with members shamed for failing to give.<\/p>\n “People could be in a cult and not even realize they\u2019re in one.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Dan Cosby<\/p>\n “It wasn\u2019t necessarily what\u2019s going to happen to you \u2026 but the pressure that you know you had to give more and [being told] \u2018you\u2019re cheap,\u2019” he said.<\/p>\n Scripture was used<\/a> to reinforce guilt, making members feel condemned.<\/p>\n In “The Cult of the Real Housewife,” ex-members opened up about the alleged emotional toll exacted by church teachings that demanded impossible choices. (Natalie Cass\/Bravo via Getty Images)<\/p>\n “They would put all types of pressure related to scriptures,” he said, adding that members were made to feel condemned. “But when you involve your faith and when you think that you’re doing the right thing, and they put this guilty conscience on you that you are going to hell, damnation to you, that if you’re not going to give.”<\/p>\n Dan described one of the most damaging tactics as invoking the legacy of “Mama,” the church\u2019s beloved founder, whose teachings emphasized personal faith and moral agency.<\/p>\n FORMER COUNTESS LUANN DE LESSEPS ADVISES SARAH FERGUSON ON HOW TO SURVIVE EPSTEIN SCANDAL, PUBLIC DOWNFALL<\/a><\/p>\n “One of Mama’s messages was, \u2018Know God for yourself,\u2019” Dan said. “But then they began worshiping this man and this woman as their God.”<\/p>\n WATCH: \u2018REAL HOUSEWIVES\u2019 STAR ALLEGEDLY MADE EX CHURCH MEMBER CHOOSE BETWEEN HUSBAND AND GOD<\/p>\n During Season two of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City<\/a>,” a former church member named Cameron was introduced in what the docuseries describes as a deliberate attempt to expose Mary, showing viewers “who she really is and what she\u2019s about.”<\/p>\n He said he took out a $300,000 second mortgage on his home and gave the money to Mary, highlighting the alleged financial entanglements involved.<\/p>\n Mary Cosby and Robert Cosby Sr. appear during “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” reunion. (Heidi Gutman\/Bravo\/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)<\/p>\n This storyline played a key role in revealing tensions and controversies around Mary\u2019s character and her dealings within the social circle depicted on the show.<\/p>\n Dan\u2019s wife, Kim Cosby, told Fox News Digital she also endured a complex journey marked by faith, family struggles and painful divisions within her religious community.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n In “The Cult of the Real Housewife,” she opened up about the emotional toll exacted by church teachings that demanded impossible choices \u2014 even between her husband and God.<\/p>\n “Extremely,” Kim told Fox News Digital when asked how damaging it was to be told to choose between her husband and God. “If I said I\u2019m going to go home and cook\u2026 then I\u2019m putting him above God.”<\/p>\n \u00a0“It was always a competition \u2026 if I didn\u2019t do what they said, then I\u2019m putting my husband above God.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Kim Cosby<\/p>\n She added, “It was always a competition \u2026 if I didn\u2019t do what they said, then I\u2019m putting my husband above God.”<\/p>\n “Mama” Cosby\u2019s approach, Kim said, was one of unity and support \u2014 a stark contrast to the divisive tactics she claimed emerged after leadership changes within the church.<\/p>\n![\"Mary](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/mary-cosby-real-housewives.jpg\")
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