“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” made a somber return Sept. 16 with a premiere dedicated to cast member Mary Cosby’s late son, Robert Cosby Jr.
Robert Jr. died on Feb. 23, 2026. He was just 23 years old. An official cause of death has not yet been released; Salt Lake City police previously revealed that authorities responded to an overdose call.
Season 7 began on Feb. 4, 2026, the day following Robert Jr.’s release from Salt Lake County Metro Jail. On Nov. 25, 2025, he pleaded guilty to multiple charges including violating a protective order for ex-wife Alexiana Smokoff. He was booked and ordered to remain in custody until his sentencing in February.
In the premiere, Mary thanked her cousin, identified as Big Joe, for picking Robert Jr.
up from jail.
“I’m super excited. I’m super happy,” Mary, 53, said, while still wrestling with feelings of fear. “It’s scary. I don’t want it to go left. I need it to stay right.”
In the past, Mary and Robert Jr. were applauded for having candid conversations in front of the camera about addiction. He previously told his mother on the show that he had been taking Xanax, along with other drugs, starting at 16.
Mary had previously expressed her internal struggles, saying in a 2024 confessional, "I just feel very disappointed with myself. I feel like I let him down somewhere.” Aware that he smoked marijuana and ingested edibles, Mary added that she “trusted him in my mind, thinking that's where he would stop. And I was clearly wrong."
On the Season 7 premiere, Big Joe recalled how Mary rejoiced over being reunited with her son following his release.
“He turned to me,” Big Joe said. “He was just happy. He said, ‘Man, I’m clean.’”
“He is clean, yes,” Mary said. “Now he’s got to stay that way.”
How Mary Cosby’s fellow housewives reacted to Robert Jr.'s death
Three weeks later, Mary’s castmates − Lisa Barlow, Heather Gay, Angie Katsanevas, Meredith Marks, Bronwyn Newport and Whitney Rose – revealed how they learned of the tragedy.
“My hear just sunk,” Katsanevas said. “When she told me that Robert passed, I thought, ‘No way, it’s not Robert Jr.’ And I said, ‘Your husband?’”
Rose burst into tears, wondering, “How can this be real?”
“I was shocked and horrified,” Newport said, “and immediately I panicked for Mary. I can’t imagine.”
Mary Cosby remembers her son Robert Jr. on camera
Mary resumed filming after three weeks, longing to be with her castmates, and told producers how much solace Robert Jr.’s dog Kray was providing.
“They had the most beautiful bond so it’s like a piece of Bubs [Robert Jr.] is left,” she explained. “And every time I see him, I think of my kid, I think of my son. Stuff like that just comforts me, helps me get through. It’s a blessing, and I don’t want to lose it.”
Becoming choked up with emotion, Mary added, “I don’t want to lose me. So I try not to go to that dark place. I don’t want to cry about it because it doesn’t do any good.”
Mary called her child her “best friend," adding, "He had that love for me that I never experienced. He loved big. His love was just – you could just see it through his eyes, you could feel it come out of his body. I miss our conversations. I miss his company. He was my gift, and I loved him like I never loved anything.”
Later in the episode, Mary welcomed the other housewives to her home and expressed her gratitude for how they’ve been there for her. “It’s getting me through it,” she said.
Though Mary acknowledged her pain, she attempted to stay positive, telling her friends, “We can overcome anything.”
“I feel at peace,” she said. “I feel like he’s not battling, he’s not struggling and wanting me to help him, and I couldn’t. That’s the type of guilt that a parent has to deal with is you can’t help him.”
“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo and streams Thursdays on Peacock.
If you or someone you know needs help battling a substance abuse addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Contributing: Anna Kaufman and Edward Segarra
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mary Cosby tearfully opens up about late son Robert Jr. in 'RHOSLC' return
