Robert Cosby Jr., the son of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Mary M. Cosby, has died.
Robert died on Monday, Feb. 23 at the age of 23 in Utah. The Salt Lake City Police Department confirmed the death to PEOPLE, saying authorities responded to a possible overdose after receiving a call regarding a “full arrest/medical emergency” of a 23-year-old male.
The news was first reported by TMZ. Real Housewives executive producer and Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen reacted to the news in a post on Thread shortly after learning of Robert Jr.’s death.
“Devastatingly sad news out of SLC,” Cohen, 57, wrote. “This is every parent’s worst nightmare. My heart is broken for Mary, and I am sending all my love to her and Robert Sr.”
Robert Jr. first opened up about his struggle with drug addiction and suicidal ideation in an emotional conversation with Mary in season 5 of RHOSLC, which aired in November 2024. At the time, he revealed that he had been using both prescription medications and recreational drugs since he was 16 after trying the anxiety medication Xanax at a party.
He also shared that he had been abusing other prescription drugs, including the ADHD medication Adderall and the opioid painkiller OxyContin, taking as many as 10 at once.
“I couldn’t even feel it,” he recalled. “I couldn’t feel it at all.” When his addiction worsened, he told Mary that he had tried heroin, further admitting that he had “wanted to die at the time.”
“I felt like a stain — I just felt like this world wasn’t for me,” Robert Jr. said. “You’re the only reason I didn’t kill myself,” he added, referencing his mother.
In December 2024, Mary shared that Robert Jr. completed a month-long stay in rehab. “He completed it. He did an excellent job. He came out a new person,” Mary said.
Robert Jr. also had a history of run-ins with the law. In 2022, he was arrested for a DUI after police claimed he was operating a vehicle without a license and disobeyed traffic laws, PEOPLE previously reported. He later took a deal pleading guilty to the DUI in exchange for the other charges being dropped.
Then, in September 2025, he was arrested again on multiple charges, including criminal trespassing, assault, failure to stop at the command of law enforcement and three counts of violating a court order, per his booking record viewed by PEOPLE. The arrest stemmed from an incident that took place at his father-in-law’s home outside of Salt Lake City, where his wife Alexiana — who he revealed he had secretly been married to in season 4 — was staying at the time.
According to court documents, Robert Jr. allegedly attempted to climb through a dog door to break into his father-in-law’s house. He was also accused of vandalizing the home, attacking his father-in-law on his front lawn and biting a law enforcement officer on the hand after he failed to comply with orders and had to be physically restrained.
Robert Jr. reportedly needed to be tasered to be brought under control.
On Nov. 24, 2025 — two weeks after Robert Jr.’s arrest — Alexiana filed for divorce following three years of marriage.
Mary explained that the arrest occurred after she and her husband Robert Sr. moved Alexiana out of their house, and Robert Jr. and Alexiana snuck out to be together. Mary claimed that as a result, Alexiana’s parents had Robert Jr. arrested for trespassing.
While it “devastated” her at the time, Mary told PEOPLE later that month that she felt her son’s arrest was “a blessing in disguise.”
“It was for his good,” she said. “I think he needed that. He’s never encountered anything like that. … I feel like he needed that and that he understands that that’s the wrong journey.”
Robert Jr. also opened up about the arrest, sharing that he’s “not where I want to be, but I’m certainly not where I used to be.” He added, “I will get there!”
He was arrested again that same month after being accused of violating a pretrial protective order. He pleaded guilty to eight of the 14 total charges he was facing: One count of felony property damage or destruction greater than or equal to $5,000; two counts of violation of a pretrial protective order (which was obtained by his wife, Alexiana), one count of assault on a peace officer, one count of violation of a jail release court order, two counts of criminal trespass on a dwelling with intent to cause annoyance, injury, or fear (all Class A misdemeanors); and one count of Class B misdemeanor assault. The remaining six misdemeanor charges were dismissed with prejudice.
Robert Jr. was released from jail on Feb. 3 and was sentenced to 36 months of probation and 75 hours of community service. At the RHOSLC season 6 reunion in January, Mary addressed Robert Jr.’s arrest, saying she was “not worried about him.”
“I know he’s somewhere where he’s not using,” she said of her son, adding that she has “to step back” so that Robert Jr. “can learn.”
“Unfortunately he’s learning the hard way, but I’m okay with it,” she continued. “It’s just, you don’t wanna see your kid suffer, but I know it’s good, and I’d rather him be there than dead.”
