Mary Cosby, known for her role on ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,’ currently holds a significant position as the first lady of the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church. However, her path to this role was not without its challenges. At one point, her actions led to her temporary exclusion from the church, according to her sister. Let’s delve into the reasons behind this dramatic turn of events.

Mary Cosby’s church once disfellowshipped her

In the documentary The Cult of the Real Housewife, Mary’s sister Denise described her as a “troublemaker” during her younger years. Michael Enoch, who previously attended the church, noted that Cosby often associated with “dudes with a reputation and a little bit of money,” as reported by People.

“Mary was involved in activities that brought disrepute to the church,” Denise explained. “My grandmother realized this and felt she couldn’t allow Mary to continue without consequences, leading to her disfellowshipment.”

Kim Cosby, another former member of the Faith Temple, added insight into the church’s practices: “Once disfellowshipped, individuals are prohibited from participating in services until they find their way back to God.”

“You are not allowed to participate in the service until you find your way back to God,” Kim Cosby, a former Faith Temple member, added.

Cosby was allegedly still disfellowshipped when her grandmother died in 1997. She took over the church after her death.

Mary Cosby’s church has faced allegations from former members

In The Cult of the Real Housewife, a number of former members have made shocking allegations against Cosby and her husband, Robert Cosby Sr. Many said they pushed them to give increasing amounts of money to the church. The couple allegedly guilted congregants who couldn’t give.

“They created this thing called these heave offerings. They were going to have them every six months. It started to increase over time,” former member Rosalind Enoch said. “We could have just had a heave offering meeting and then in a week or two, we’re having another meeting where we’re being told there’s an emergency, and they need $100,000. You’re just being barricaded in here. During this meeting, everyone put their name and their amount on the list. If you didn’t have a certain amount, Robert would say, ‘And that’s all you have?’”

Rosalind said that the “heave offerings” initially happened every six months, but they began to increase in frequency.

“They collect money and they use credit cards,” she said. “In fact, I can recall texting my debit card number to one of the members that collected the money, so that he could enter that in manually. There were times that I would give $5,000. It was a lot.”

Her appearance on ‘RHOSLC’ inspired people to come forward

While many Faith Temple members grew concerned about Cosby’s behavior, The Cult of the Real Housewife director Elli Hakami said they didn’t want to speak out against her. When she began flaunting her wealth on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, however, some felt moved to come forward.

“It’s when Mary Cosby appeared on Real Housewives as this diva, this wealthy spiritual figure, that was a bridge too far for a lot of people,” director Julian P. Hobbs told The Hollywood Reporter. “They’re like, ‘No, no, no. We have to come forward and speak our piece. We have to let people know the reality of what our experience was with Mary Cosby, versus the packaged television drama that people we’re seeing out there.’”

Cosby has denied the allegations made against her.