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NEED TO KNOW
Mary Cosby and her husband, Robert Cosby Sr., welcomed their son Robert Cosby Jr. in the early 2000s
Mary and her only child have appeared on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, in which Robert Jr. has opened up about his substance abuse
Mary and her husband are the subjects of the TLC docuseries The Cult of the Real Housewife
Mary Cosby's son,Robert Cosby Jr., has been appearing alongside her onThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake Citysince its debut in 2020.
Robert Jr. is the only child of Mary and Robert Cosby Sr., both of whom lead the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church in Salt Lake City and are subjects of the TLC docuseriesThe Cult of the Real Housewife. Mary and Robert Sr. welcomed their son in 2002 after trying to start a family for four years, she revealed in a season 5 episode of the reality series.
"Robert was like the perfect child," Mary said during a confessional interview. "He was very good in school. He got straight A's all the way up until he graduated. When he set his mind to do something, he did it. He was like our prize, very smart, very advanced."
During Robert Jr.'s time on the show, he has talked about several coming-of-age experiences, including his first girlfriend and, later, his courthouse wedding. But Mary and Robert Jr. have also had other candid on-camera conversations, including when he opened up for the first time about his struggles withsubstance abuse and suicidal ideation.
Since then, Mary has stood by her son as he embarked on his sobriety journey, which she has described as "a hardcore road."
"I can just only push him, encourage him and love him. And that's what I'm doing," Mary said during a September 2025 appearance on SiriusXM'sReality Checkedradio show. "I have hope and I believe in him. ... I know he's got all the tools and he's got all the will, the willpower that he needs and the support."
Here is everything to know about Mary Cosby's son, Robert Cosby Jr.
He is an only child
Mary Cosby/Instagram
Robert Jr. is the only child born to his parents, Mary and Robert Sr. The couple wed in September 1998 and welcomed their son in the early 2000s. (Robert Sr. was previously married to Mary's grandmother.)
They named him Robert Clinton Cosby Jr. after his father, Mary revealed in a season 1 episode ofTheReal Housewives of Salt Lake City.
"I have a beautiful son," she said. "When I had my son, I went into a whole other level of love."
Mary added, "Robert Sr., he's in love with his son. He'll do anything for him. And I'm like the helicopter mom."
The family often traveled, visiting places like Dubai and Japan for Robert Jr.'s birthdays. "Anywhere that he wanted to go that he found of interest, I took him," Mary shared.
She also ensured that Robert Jr. grew up with everything that she didn't have. Notably, they moved from Utah to New York for eight years, Mary revealed atthe season 5 reunion, so that Robert Jr. could grow up in "a diverse atmosphere" with "the best education."
He lives in Salt Lake City with his parents
The Cosbys have homes in Florida, New York, Nevada and Indiana, but Robert Jr. lives at their Salt Lake City residence with his parents.
He once had ambitions to become a fashion designer, but, as of 2024, he was still living at home and being supported by his parents, Mary revealed in season 5 ofRHOSLC.
However, she took the responsibility for Robert's unemployment and revealed that she did not want him to move out of their Salt Lake City home.
"I just feel like he's very sheltered, and I feel like that's my fault," Mary said in the episode. "So that's why I don't mind him staying home."
She added, "One day I'll give him the boot, but not right now."
He secretly married in August 2022
Robert Jr.wed his girlfriend, Alexiana Arian Smokoff, in a Utah courthouse in August 2022, according toTMZ. However, he kept the nuptials a secret from his parents for nearly a year.
"Robert Jr. has a girlfriend, but everyone's telling me it's his wife," Mary said in the season 4 premiere ofRHOSLC.
She later addressed the rumors head-on when she sat down with Robert Jr. and asked him if there was any truth to the rumors that he was married. The then-20-year-old admitted that he and Alexiana had snuck to the courthouse a year prior and said, "I do" — a revelation that left Mary emotional.
She then explained in a confessional how Robert Jr. and Alexiana were able to conceal their marriage from her for nearly a year, despite all three sharing a home.
"They both live in my house, but I don't see them much," she said. "We kind of have our own wings."
Mary continued, "One day, they were getting dressed, and he was rushing to go do something. And he was dressed up nice and she was dressed up nice. But they were running — like, full-blown running with all their might. But I didn't know they were running to go get married."
He revealed his struggles with substance abuse and mental health onThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Robert Jr. has dealt with a years-long drug addiction, using both prescription medications and recreational drugs.
He opened up for the first time about his troubles with substance abuse in a season 5 episode ofRHOSLC, which aired in November 2024. In the candid conversation with his mother, the then-21-year-old admitted to using the anxiety medication Xanax since he was 16, after first trying it at a party.
In addition, Robert Jr. revealed he had been abusing other prescription drugs, including the ADHD medication Adderall and the opioid painkiller OxyContin, taking as many as 10 at once. "I couldn't even feel it," he recalled. "I couldn't feel it at all."
As his drug addiction worsened, Robert Jr. told Mary thathe had tried heroin. But perhaps his most honest admission came when he shared with his mother that he had "wanted to die at the time."
"I felt like a stain — I just felt like this world wasn't for me," Robert Jr. shared. "You're the only reason I didn't kill myself," he added, referencing his mother.
Mary took the news of Robert Jr.'s struggles with substance abuse and his mental health particularly hard. She placed the blame on herself, telling the cameras she felt like she had "let him down somewhere" and "missed the mark."
"If I don't blame myself, whose fault is it? I feel I'm responsible," Mary said in a later episode.
Afterward, Robert Jr.completed a month-long stay in rehab, Mary shared in a December 2024 appearance onWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. His wife, Alexiana, also went to rehab.
"He completed it. He did an excellent job. He came out a new person," Mary said.
He has had multiple run-ins with the law
2025 Salt Lake County
Apart from his struggles with substance abuse, Robert Jr. has also faced legal troubles over the years.
In 2022, the reality TV personality was arrested for a DUI after police claimed he was operating a vehicle without a license and disobeyed traffic laws, PEOPLE previously reported. He later took a plea deal, where he pleaded guilty to the DUI in exchange for the other charges being dropped.
Then, in September 2025, Robert Jr. wasarrested on multiple charges, including criminal trespassing, assault, failure to stop at the command of law enforcement and three counts of violating a court order, per his booking record viewed by PEOPLE. The arrest stemmed from an incident that took place at his father-in-law's home outside of Salt Lake City, where his wife was staying at the time.
According tocourt documents, Robert Jr. allegedly attempted to climb through a dog door to break into his father-in-law's house. He was also accused of vandalizing his father-in-law's home, attacking him on his front lawn, and biting a law enforcement officer on the hand after he failed to comply with orders and had to be physically restrained. Robert Jr. reportedly needed to be tasered to be brought under control.
Mary later explained to PEOPLE that the arrest occurred after she and Robert Sr. moved Alexiana out of their house. Robert Jr. and Alexiana snuck out to be together, according to Mary's account, and, as a result, her parents had him arrested for trespassing. Though it "devastated" her at the time, Mary later shared that she felt Robert Jr.'s arrest was "a blessing in disguise."
"It was for his good," she said in November 2025. "I think he needed that. He's never encountered anything like that. ... I feel like he needed that and that he understands that that's the wrong journey."
Robert Jr. also opened up about the arrest to PEOPLE, sharing that he's "not where I want to be, but I'm certainly not where I used to be." He added, "I will get there!"
In November 2025, Robert Jr. was arrested again and accused of violating a pretrial protective order. The same month, he pleaded guilty to eight of the 14 total charges he was facing: One count of felony property damage or destruction greater than or equal to $5,000; two counts of violation of a pretrial protective order (which was obtained by his wife, Alexiana), one count of assault on a peace officer, one count of violation of a jail release court order, two counts of criminal trespass on a dwelling with intent to cause annoyance, injury, or fear (all Class A misdemeanors); and one count of Class B misdemeanor assault. The remaining six misdemeanor charges were dismissed with prejudice.
Robert Jr. was booked into Salt Lake County Jail in November 2025. He will remain there without bail until his sentencing in February 2026, when a judge will determine the length of his remaining time behind bars.
His wife filed for divorce in November 2025
On Nov. 24, 2025 — two weeks after Robert Jr. was arrested for violating a protective order and one day before his pleading guilty in court — his wife, Alexiana, filed for divorce after three years of marriage.
The petitionlisted several prohibited actions for both parties, including requiring them not to "harass, intimidate or disturb the peace of the other party, by any means, including electronically."
Robert Jr.'s lawyer, Clayton Simms, provided an exclusive statement to PEOPLE after his client pleaded guilty to several of the charges he was facing in court. In it, he shared that Robert Jr. had a "difficult" time accepting that the relationship was over "based on his religion and background."
"To him, marriage is sacred and forever," Simms said. "His parents were his example and they've been married for 27 years. Robert was slow to recognize and accept his marriage was over and continued to connect with his soon-to-be ex-wife. Robert has accepted responsibility for his mistakes and has pleaded guilty to several misdemeanors."
Mary had previously expressed doubt that Robert Jr. and Alexiana's marriage was even legal.
"I still don't believe she's his wife," Mary told PEOPLE in November 2025. "I think they were out of their mind, and they maybe made up something. They said that the marriage license is in a safe, and the safe is locked, and they have to bust it open because they lost the key."
Mary refers to him as her "everything"
Rich Polk/Bravo via Getty
Throughout Robert Jr.'s sobriety journey and the difficulties in his personal life, Mary has ensured her son knows he is loved and supported.
When Robert Jr. opened up to his mother about his drug addiction, Mary responded by telling him that he is "the only thing" that ever brought her happiness.
"You have to know I love you more than anything," she said. "You're my friend, you're my son, you're my gift. God gave you to me. You're the only thing that ever made me happy. Before I had you, I was never happy. You came, and you were so real. It was everything I hoped for in a person."
In the same conversation, Robert Jr. admitted to Mary that he "felt like a stain," a moment that she later reflected on at the season 5 reunion.
"You don't want to hear your child say that when they're not," she said. "He's everything."
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Read the original article onPeople
