Meet Mary Cosby's Son Robert Cosby Jr., Was Secretly Married, Had Mental Health Struggles, And More

Mary Cosby is a renowned American television personality. She is best known for her stint on the Bravo reality TV series, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. As an original cast member, Mary was first announced for the show back in September 2020. Apparently, it was after Mary Cosby was discovered that the makers conceived the hit show, which ran for multiple seasons.  

In her personal life, Mary was married to Dana Harris, but they divorced in September 1998. Following this, and after her grandmother passed away, she went on to marry her step-grandfather, Bishop Robert C. Cosby. Together, the couple welcomed a son named Robert Cosby Jr. However, in a tragic piece of news, it was revealed that Robert Jr. had passed away on February 23, 2026, at the age of 23. According to The Salt Lake City Police Department, Robert Jr. passed away from a possible overd*se. Now, if you are curious to know more about Mary Cosby's late son, Robert Cosby Jr., keep reading.  

Robert Cosby Jr. was Mary Cosby and her husband's only son 

Mary Cosby got married to Robert Cosby Sr. back in 1998. After four years of trying to convince, they finally welcomed their son, Robert Jr., in the early 2000s. It is worth noting that Robert Sr. was previously married to Mary's grandmother. Well, as you might have already guessed from his name, the couple named him Robert Clinton Cosby Jr. after his father. This was revealed by Mary in one of the episodes of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 1. At the time, she said that she had a “beautiful son” and that when she had him, she “went into a whole other level of love.” She added that his father, Robert Sr., loved their son so much that he would do anything for him, while calling herself “the helicopter mom.”  

For each of Robert Jr.'s birthdays, Mary would take him wherever he wanted to go, such as Dubai and Japan. In fact, she made sure her son had everything she didn't have growing up. Notably, Mary and her family moved from Utah to New York for eight years. She revealed the reason behind this in her show's season 5 reunion, claiming she wanted Robert Jr. to grow up in “a diverse atmosphere” that also offered the best education.  

Robert Jr. lived in his parents' house in Salt Lake City  

If reports are believed to be true, the Cosbys have homes in a number of places, such as Nevada, New York, Florida, and Indiana. They also have a residence in Salt Lake City, where Robert Jr. used to reportedly live with his parents. Growing up, he reportedly wanted to become a fashion designer. Irrespective of this, during an episode of season 5 of RHOSLIC, Mary revealed that he was still living at home and being supported by his parents as of 2024. Mary, at the time, took full responsibility for Robert Jr.'s unemployment. She stated that she did not mind him staying at home because she feels Robert has grown up very sheltered.  

Robert Cosby Jr. secretly got married to his then-girlfriend, Alexiana Arian Smokoff 

Just a few years ago, in August 2022, Robert Jr. married his then-girlfriend, Alexiana Arian Smokoff. According to a report by TMZ, they tied the knot in a Utah courthouse. Interestingly, at the time, he kept his marriage a secret from his parents for nearly a year. Expressing her doubts in the season 4 premiere of RHOSLC, Mary said that her son has a girlfriend, but everyone keeps telling her that it is his wife. 

The truth came to light when Mary addressed the rumours head-on after sitting down with Robert Jr. and asking him whether he was indeed married. Robert Jr. confessed that all the rumours were true and that he had snuck to the courthouse a year before to marry Alexania. This revelation left Mary visibly emotional. What is shocking is that at the time, Robert Jr. and Alexania both used to live in her house, yet they were successful in concealing their marriage from her. During a confessional, Mary explained how it happened, saying: 

“They both live in my house, but I don’t see them much. We kind of have our own wings. 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.” 

Robert Cosby Jr. had opened up about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City  

Reports online suggest that Robert Jr. had dealt with d*ug ad*iction for many years, having used both prescription medications and recreational d*ugs. During a November 2024 episode of RHOSLC Season 5, Robert Jr. got candid with his mother, Mary Cosby, about how he has been using the anxiety medication, Xanax ever since he first tried it at a party when he was 16. He also admitted to using other prescription d*ugs such as Adderall, commonly used for ADHD, and OxyContin, the opioid painkiller. He revealed that even after taking 10 of them at once, he “couldn't even feel it.”  

Robert Jr. also opened up about how much he was struggling mentally. He told Mary that he felt like he was a “stain” in the world and that he would have ki**ed himself if it weren't for his mother. Listening to him talk like that, Mary at the time had placed the blame completely on herself as she felt like she had let him down somewhere.  

May Robert Cosby Jr. rest in peace.  

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