Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s one thing absolutely no reality television fan can deny, it’s that Mary Martha Jefferson and Robert Cosby Sr. are one of the most controversial couples to have ever graced our screens. That’s because, as explored in both Bravo’s ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ and TLC’s ‘The Cult of the Real Housewife,’ they were step-granddaughter and step-grandfather first. However, they eventually became not only co-spiritual leaders of her beloved late grandmother’s Faith Temple Pentecostal Church but also husband and wife in every sense of the term.
Mary Has Known Robert Almost Her Entire Life
It was back in 1975 when Robert Cosby Sr. came into the then 2-year-old Mary Martha Jefferson’s life as her step-grandfather after falling head over heels in love with her grandmother. According to TLC’s The Cult of the Real Housewife, the former had joined Rosemary “Mama” Redmon’s church in the early 1970s, just to become enamored by the way she cared for her congregation. He thus pursued her despite their 20-year age gap, with her reportedly turning him down until she realized her community didn’t mind the idea of them together if he made her happy.
Mama and Robert happily tied the knot, following which he took on the role of step-father, step-grandfather, and the First Man of her church, as there were no other male figures in their lives. Unfortunately, though, everything turned upside down on January 4, 1997, as the bishop sadly passed away from heart failure in her St. Cloud, Florida, vacation home at the age of 65. Her widower subsequently handled her estate to continue her legacy, but it was contested by her kids until her remains were exhumed in 1999 for an autopsy, which confirmed her cause of death.
However, by this point, Mama’s assets, business, and church had already essentially been inherited by Mary as she had tied the knot with her step-grandfather on September 27, 1998. She had been previously married to a man named Dana Lamont Harris, but they divorced rather quickly on September 8, 1998, just days before the 25-year-old and the 45-year-old said “I do.” The now-bishop has since asserted that her union with Robert was “arranged” by her late grandmother herself, and they have built a happy life together while also sharing a son named Robert Jr.
Mary and Robert Are Still Living in Matrimonial Bliss
Ever since Mary made her debut on the Bravo reality series in 2020, she and her husband have been under constant scrutiny for not only their unorthodox relationship but also their wealth. In fact, there have even been accusations of them ruining Mama’s legacy by running the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church as a “cult” and allegedly taking advantage of their congregation. Nevertheless, it’s imperative to note that neither of them has ever been legally questioned for any alleged wrongdoing, let alone arrested and charged, enabling them to continue thriving as pastors.
The public attention did seemingly result in Mary skipping the season 2 reunion as well as not being a part of season 3 altogether, but she has since returned to our screens in full force. The situation is a little different for her husband, though, because he has apparently since chosen to remain well away from the spotlight and just focus on their church and their empire of small businesses. They are still happily married, though, as made explicitly clear by the reality star in October 2025 during an exclusive interview with People. Because Robert has not featured on Mary’s social media profiles or the Bravo show for a while, she was asked about their union, to which she replied they “still love each other.” The now 53-year-old then cheekily added, “I haven’t turned him off” before turning serious again and asserting, “He still cooks for the family, and he’s our rock.”
Even though their marriage was arranged and they have a 20-year age difference too, Mary admittedly sees herself growing old with Robert because they have a mutual love as well as respect for one another. That’s how they have been able to take on all the public scrutiny and support their son, who opened up about his struggles with addiction and suicidal ideations for the first time on season 5. “He always knows what to say, and he always knows how to say it,” she said. “Truly, I told him (recently)… ‘You really know me, and I love that.’ … I see us just getting old together, and I’ll be always standing there. He’s just this solid piece in my life, and my son’s life, and we couldn’t do it without him. We could not live life without him.” In other words, Mary and Robert have been happily married for 27 years, and they are determined to spend the rest of their lives together.
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