Overview
- The three-part TLC series The Cult of the Real Housewife premiered Jan. 1 and is streaming on HBO Max and Discovery+.
- Former members describe spiritual manipulation, public humiliation, and alleged physical punishments, with leaked audio capturing Mary Cosby berating congregants over money.
- Accounts in the doc detail intense pressure to give, including claims members cashed 401(k)s, mortgaged homes, and made six‑figure “heave” offerings.
- Relatives recount Mary Cosby’s 1998 marriage to her former step-grandfather, Robert Cosby Sr., which she and the film say followed her grandmother’s succession wishes.
- The film includes allegations of an intimate relationship with the late ex-member Cameron Williams, who family say gave about $300,000, as directors stress fact‑checking; Faith Temple remains open and the Cosbys’ $6.3 million embezzlement suit against former executives is pending, with no widely reported criminal charges tied to the doc’s claims as of early January.