Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Mary and her husband, Robert Cosby Sr. defended their controversial marriage during the RHOSLC Season 1 reunion.
During Part 3 of the reunion, host Andy Cohen invited the husbands of the Housewives to join them.
Robert Sr. and Meredith Marks’s husband, Seth Marks, attended virtually. Meanwhile, Lisa Barlow’s husband, John Barlow, Whitney Rose’s husband, Justin Rose, and Jen Shah’s husband, known as Coach Shah appeared in person.
Andy noticed that Robert Sr. did not look happy to be there, and he confirmed that he wasn’t. He explained that it has hurt him to see other women coming for his wife. He affirmed that this is why he was hesitant about Mary appearing on the show.
“I knew everything that’s happening right now was going to happen,” he explained.
Mary was quick to jump on his criticism. She revealed that she and Jen had just made up and tried to appease him by expressing her love for him.
“I love you too but that doesn’t mean I can’t voice my opinion,” Robert Sr. responded.
Robert weighs in on the backlash Mary has faced for their marriage
Andy then prompted Robert Sr. to reveal what he thought people have been misinformed on in regards to their relationship. Robert explained that he didn’t like how people perceived their marriage.
“One thing that they don’t understand, I don’t know, they think we got married just for the money, everything was money, money, money. It’s not like that,” he said.
“The other thing is, this granddaddy junk, it’s stupid. I was 22 years old when I married Mama [Mary’s grandmother, Rosemary Cosby]. Whose granddaddy was I? I wasn’t even anybody’s daddy yet. I don’t like that. I don’t like that at all. That’s very offensive,” he continued seemingly in references to some of Jen’s earlier comments about their marriage. “If somebody says that, that’s hurtful. But I’m used to it. I don’t like people messing with my wife at all.”
Afterwards, Jen and Coach Shah both apologized for the “grandfather f****r” comments Jen made at Whitney’s 1920’s party.
Despite the judgement they have received, Robert Sr. is ultimately grateful for his second marriage.
“Mary is a great mother and a great wife. I love her,” he shared. “I understand we’ve had our ups and downs. Hey, you’ve been married 22 years, how in the world can you not get along?”
His touching words caused Mary to tear up.
Why is Mary and Robert’s marriage so controversial?
Viewers began talking about Mary and Robert’s marriage before the show even aired.
Mary and her husband have an 18-year age gap, but that isn’t the only unconventional aspect of their marriage.
Robert Sr. was once married to her grandmother, Rosemary Cosby, making him Mary’s step-grandfather. Mary married Robert Sr. so that she could inherit her grandmother’s empire and become First Lady of their church.
Both Mary and Robert Sr. set the record straight during the reunion and said that it was her grandmother’s wish for her second husband to marry “one of her girls.”
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is currently on hiatus on Bravo.