Mary Cosby Shared Her Son's Drug Battle On RHOSLC Before His Death At Age 23: 'I Feel Like I Let Him Down'
Mary Cosby and her son, Robert Cosby Jr., were praised for their openness about his drug abuse in the years leading up to his death.
Robert Jr. died on February 24 at the age of 23, according to a representative for the Salt Lake City Police Department, who confirmed that police responded to a call about a suspected overdose.
Mary, who is a leading cast member on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, has spoken candidly about Robert Jr.’s addiction issues, including in a landmark moment for the franchise in November 2024 in which Mary directly confronted her son after noticing concerning behavior while cameras rolled. Robert Jr. admitted to taking Xanax and Adderall before filming and opened up about how he started taking drugs at 16 after being given Xanax at a party.
“Then I was like, ‘I like this,'” Robert said. “I started buying it. Then I started doing Xanax with acid, and then Molly with Xanax, because I really like Xanax, so I mixed it with everything, Xanax and cocaine.”
“I can help you,” Mary pleaded in the episode. “I can try to help you, but you have to help yourself, because I’m not gonna support it. I’m not. You know I’m not. Do you accept it’s a problem, that you’re having a problem?”
“I just feel very disappointed with myself,” Mary later told cameras in a confessional. “I feel like I let him down somewhere. I’m very aware, and I do know that Robert did smoke weed. I do know he would eat edibles, but yet I just trusted him in my mind, thinking that’s where he would stop. And I was clearly wrong. I mean, clearly wrong. I missed the mark.”
Andy Cohen later called the scene “one of the most raw, real and heart-wrenching” moments in the Bravo franchise’s history during a November 2025 episode of “Watch What Happens Live.”
Robert Jr. also had a series of run-ins with the law, including a stint in jail that ended on February 6 for violated a protective order taken by his ex-wife, Alexiana Smokoff, per People. At the RHOSLC season 6 reunion in January, Mary addressed Robert Jr.’s arrest, saying she was “not worried about him.”
“I know he’s somewhere where he’s not using,” she said. “Unfortunately he’s learning the hard way, but I’m okay with it,” she continued. “It’s just, you don’t wanna see your kid suffer, but I know it’s good, and I’d rather him be there than dead.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.