Mary Cosby’s Family Is Going Through Something No Parent Should Face

There’s a version of this story that exists purely in the reality television coverage ecosystem and there’s the actual human story underneath it, and the actual story is a family losing a 23 year old. Robert Cosby Jr. passing away at that age is the part that matters regardless of what show his mother appears on or what storylines have surrounded her public life.

Mary Cosby and her family released a statement asking for prayers, which is the appropriate response to something this private and this painful when you live any portion of your life in public. The coverage has been respectful for the most part, which is the least that’s owed to a family dealing with a loss this significant.

RHOSLC has had plenty of drama over the years and Cosby has been in the middle of a lot of it. None of that belongs in this conversation. A 23 year old died. His family is grieving. The outpouring from fans has been real and that’s the only thing worth noting right now.

Reality television asks people to perform their lives for cameras and audiences and most of the time that transaction feels pretty low stakes. Then something like this happens and you’re reminded pretty quickly that the people on these shows are just people. The cameras don’t change that part.