Elli Hakami and Julian P. Hobbs, the visionary directors behind the groundbreaking TLC docuseries "The Cult of the Real Housewife," which explores the intriguing story of Mary Cosby, star of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City," and her alleged role as a mastermind behind a mind-controlling cult, credit their initial inspiration to the Bravo series she graces with her presence.
"They arrived there before we did," Hobbs shares with The Hollywood Reporter, referring to the Salt Lake City-set iteration of the "Real Housewives" franchise, now in its sixth thrilling season. The RHOSLC trailer for season two saw co-star Whitney Rose hint at "all the rumors that Mary is a cult leader," and that season featured Cameron Williams, a former member of her Faith Temple Pentecostal Church and a whistleblower, lending credibility to these allegations.
"We thought, 'Let's stress-test this. Let's dig deeper than just letting the series itself answer this question,'" Hobbs continues. "And thus, the door opened." Hakami and Hobbs, who run Talos Films alongside Hakimi, were determined to provide a more in-depth investigation.
The TLC docuseries (a glimpse of which is provided in the trailer above) delves into allegations that Mary Cosby and her husband, Bishop Robert Cosby Sr., manipulated their church members into emptying their bank accounts to fund their lavish lifestyle and the purchase of mansions. It also suggests that Mary Cosby had an affair with Williams, who allegedly gave the Cosbys around $300,000 of his savings.
Williams made veiled allegations against Mary Cosby during his own RHOSLC appearance alongside co-stars Meredith Marks and Lisa Barlow back in 2021. He tragically passed away shortly after due to complications from brain tumor surgery.
Securing appearances from former Faith Temple congregants like the Enoch family, Mary's sister Denise Jefferson Okinada, and Mary's cousin Dan Cosby, along with his wife Kim, proved challenging given Mary Cosby and her husband's long-standing reputation as pillars of Faith Temple, responsible for their congregation's spiritual salvation. This led to feelings of guilt and shame among ex-members over the alleged abuse of their spiritual power, extortion schemes, and sexual transgressions.
"They believed in their leaders. They believed in Bishop and Mary as conduits to the divine, shepherding their faith," Hakami explains to THR. She and Hobbs were aided in their investigation by Cheyenne Roundtree, an entertainment reporter for The Daily Beast, who appears in the three-part TLC series now streaming on HBO Max and Discovery+.
Interviews with former followers reveal their outrage at the contrast between the Mary Cosby they had seen leading a church founded by her beloved grandmother, Rosemary "Mama" Cosby, and the extravagant lifestyle she displayed on RHOSLC.
"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," Hobbs explains. "They felt compelled to speak out and share their experiences with Mary Cosby, versus the packaged television drama that people were seeing."
The "Cult of the Real Housewife" docuseries also captures real-time social media chatter that fueled speculation around Mary Cosby's church as it emerged on RHOSLC. "The interactive component of the discussion is part of the churn that gets the conversation going," Hobbs claims. "While the producers of Real Housewives planted this story about Mary running a cult, it was the digital media world that ran with that story and demanded answers."
Much of the online buzz surrounding Mary Cosby, which coincided with her role on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City since joining the reality TV show in 2020, centered on a possible affair with Williams. Dan Cosby reveals in the TLC series a clip of a phone call he had with Williams before his death where the former church follower confirmed his affair with Mary Cosby.
"Look, we were on private jets, going on trips, she was buying me $2,500 shoes," Williams is heard to say on the call. "Of course, in my head I’m like, 'Wow' ... I truly was manipulated in so many ways. I’m embarrassed of myself at this point."
The "Cult of the Real Housewife" docuseries also enlists cult expert Steven Hassan to better understand how Mary Cosby and Bishop Cosby could allegedly manipulate and coerce their followers into handing over their life savings to people seen as faith healers capable of delivering them from evil.
"It’s a playbook. It’s a recipe. It goes back to Behavioralism, understanding that the mind is malleable and any human can fall under the sway of coercive control," Hobbs says. "You can actually learn the system to exert that coercive control."
Mary Cosby sat out season three of RHOSLC, returned briefly in season four and was restored to her starring role in season five – all without further mention of running a cult in the series. The sixth season is currently airing on Bravo.
Hobbs and Hakimi reached out to Mary Cosby and Bishop Cosby to respond to the allegations made in "The Cult of the Real Housewife," but received a "no comment" in return. However, Hobbs sees a possible reckoning ahead following the docuseries' release on Jan. 1.
"In the court of public opinion, Mary has controlled a lot of believers to craft the narrative," he claims. "What we’re trying to do is provide a different perspective that hasn’t been heard before, to level the playing field and give a voice to those who haven’t been heard."
"It will be an interesting moment when this film comes out – you’ll hear a perspective that hasn’t been allowed to be platformed," Hobbs adds. THR has also reached out to Bravo for comment from the reality series' producers and co-star Mary Cosby over the allegations in the TLC docuseries.
