Mary Cosby Opens Up About Marrying Her Step-Grandfather

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is one of the only good things to come out of 2020, as it provided fans with some new and very interesting personalities and dramatic storylines. The new series, which is the 10th installment of the Real Housewives franchise, focused on the lives of six women — who represent a spectrum of religious beliefs — residing in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the "Mormon church is undeniably engrained in the culture," according to Bravo. 

The cast includes Lisa Barlow, Heather Gay, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose, Jen Shah, and Mary Cosby — who made headlines immediately after the show's cast bios were released because of a particular detail about her personal life: She was married her step-grandfather Robert Cosby, Sr. The bio read: "Mary Cosby is a Pentecostal First Lady who inherited her family's empire of churches, restaurants, and more. The caveat in her taking over the family business was that she marry her late grandmother's second husband, Robert Cosby, Sr. They have since been married for 20 years and have one teenage son together." 

Keep scrolling to read what Mary had to say about her unconventional marriage to her grandmother's second husband — and where she and Robert stand these days.

Mary Cosby opened up about her arranged marriage to husband/step-grandfather Robert Cosby, Sr. during the second part of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City reunion on Feb. 17, 2021. She explained that despite admitting to not wanting to marry him on the series (per Page Six), she did it because her late grandmother wanted her to take her place as the head of the family's church. However, she also explained that there were no actual "receipts" that described an arranged marriage between the two, other than her relaying her grandmother's word.

"So basically, Robert Sr. was 20 years younger than my grandmother," Mary told Andy Cohen. "My grandmother felt like she robbed his youth. So she said, 'If something ever happens, I want you to marry one of my girls, because I know that they will be loyal to you and treat you good like you treated me.'" Though the reality star insisted the couple is "happy," she confirmed they don't sleep in the same bed, have separate bedrooms, and haven't had sex in the "last few years." 

Then, when asked if she was "in love' with Robert, Mary replied, "I absolutely think I am." She added (via the Daily Mail), "Marriages are hard, they're horrible, they can be a nightmare. I have a beautiful one."