The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City alum Mary M. Cosby is returning to the show as a friend of Meredith Marks, Page Six reports. Mary, 50, originally appeared on the show for the first two seasons before departing in 2022. “Mary wanted to come back,” an insider told the publication, adding that she will “film a few scenes” for Season 4, which is reportedly set to start filming on Feb. 13.
Mary is only coming back as a friend, though, because she is still sorting through her feelings about Jennie Nguyen’s racism controversy and subsequent firing from the show, Page Six also reports. “Mary was dealing with a lot of trauma after Season 2,” another insider claimed to the outlet. “Jennie’s racist posts really seemed to shake Mary, especially after Jennie threw a glass at her on camera,” they added, referring to the Season 2 finale. “Mary was grateful for the time away from the cameras, but she seems ready to get back in the mix.”
Jennie, 44, was removed from The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City after anti-Black Lives Matters posts she shared on social media in 2020 resurfaced. Bravo executive producer Andy Cohen described the posts as “disgusting and upsetting”.
Although she originally denied leaving RHOSLC, Mary’s departure from the series came after she skipped out on the Season 2 finale, signaling something was wrong. In Feb. 2022, a production source claimed to Page Six that the entrepreneur and event specialist would not be returning because “she did not enjoy her time on the show or form any strong bonds with the ladies.”
Although Mary did not form any “strong bonds” with her castmates, she and Meredith, 49, have reconnected recently, giving her a chance to contribute to the show. “They’ve reestablished a connection over the past year and have been texting and talking more in recent months,” the source shared.
Mary’s return to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City comes amid a huge cast shakeup, with Jen Shah no longer filming due to her six-and-a-half-year prison sentence for her telemarketing scam that defrauded mostly elderly citizens out of millions of dollars. Cast members expected to return include Meredith, Heather Gay, Lisa Barlow, and Whitney Rose. Mary has not poncily confirmed her return as of this writing.