Mary Cosby defended her choice to resume filming “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” mere weeks after her son’s fatal overdose.
The 53-year-old reality star told Vulture in an interview published Wednesday that she returned to the Bravo series “for” Robert Cosby Jr., who died at age 23 on Feb. 23. Producers had offered her the option to step away for a full year, she noted.
“[Robert Jr.] would want me to keep going. He would want me to shine. He’d want me to be the best I can be in whatever I’m doing in life,” she told the outlet.
Filming for Season 7 had been scheduled to begin the week of Feb. 23 but was halted when Robert Jr. Died less than three weeks after his release from jail, where he had spent two months. A Salt Lake City Police Department spokesperson confirmed at the time that officers responded to an overdose call that “turned into a death investigation.”
Mary broke her silence on Instagram in the immediate aftermath, writing, “Our beloved son, Robert Jr., has been called home to the Lord. Though our hearts ache, we take comfort in God’s promise and in knowing he is finally at peace.”
She continued in that post, “We are grateful for your prayers and trust in the Lord to carry us through this time of sorrow.”
Later, she posted a childhood photo of herself with Robert Jr. Set to Jessica Mauboy’s “Time After Time,” captioning it, “#godfirst #love #forever #❤️ I’m going to miss you, bubs ❤️🙏😢.”
Sources said that Mary was back with her cast mates by March, roughly one month after the death, following a brief mourning pause. The Hollywood Reporter subsequently reported that filming resumed in early March, with Mary joining Lisa Barlow, Heather Gay, Angie Katsanevas, Meredith Marks, Bronwyn Newport and Whitney Rose, plus friends Britani Bateman and Ashley Quai, later that month.
Marks weighed in on Mary’s return, saying she navigated it “so beautifully.”
“You’ll see [that] her strength is so inspirational,” Marks added. “I think it will be really incredible to watch.”
Mary told Vulture she wants viewers to perceive her “strength” through the season.
“This could have killed me, and it should have killed me. It was designed to at least let me fall, and I didn’t,” she said. “I doubled down on knowing that what happens in my life is for the good and what’s going to happen is supposed to happen.”
She went on, “You can’t do anything when it’s someone’s time but accept it and keep going and hope that one day, you’ll see [them] again.”
Robert Jr. Was Mary’s son with her husband, Robert Cosby Sr.
Season 7 of “RHOSLC” premieres Wednesday night.