Meredith Marks is sharing the difficulties of filming a reality show as her costar Mary Cosby grappled with the death of her son Robert Cosby Jr.
Appearing on Nova’s “Jase, Lauren and Clint” on Thursday, August 13, Meredith, 54, was asked how she and her costars managed to keep the cameras rolling on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City “when people are dealing with awful, raw emotion.”
In February, Robert Jr. died at age 23 following a suspected overdose in his parents’ Utah home. RHOSLC’s season 7, which premieres in September, is set to feature Mary, 53, navigating her grief.
During Thursday’s radio show appearance, Meredith praised Mary for how she chose to deal with her loss.
“Mary, you’ll see, her strength is so inspirational. She handled the whole situation so beautifully and I think it will be really incredible to watch,” Meredith said. “I think it will be very tough for her. I think that … the show I think gave her another focus during a very difficult time.”
Meredith added that dealing with personal challenges publicly — and having issues resurface after the fact — is a major drawback to their jobs.
“That’s the downside to reality TV. You relive things later,” she admitted.
Real Housewives of Miami’s Alexia Nepola, who appeared alongside Meredith on the radio show, added “that makes it worse.”
“So that thing will happen, we all see it play out. Some blogger will do it, you know, post it on their social media and then the whole world tunes in,” Alexia, 59, explained. “And you know, not everybody is going to see it the same. And I think that’s what makes it so hard for us. Not only that we relive the moment months later but then after it comes out on social media, then everybody weighs in and gives their opinion, and I think that’s really hard. I think that you really have to have that thick skin.”
Mary confirmed the death of her son via a statement to Us on February 25.
“Our beloved son Robert Jr. has been called home to the Lord,” Mary shared in a statement at the time. “Though our hearts ache, we take comfort in God’s promise and in knowing he is finally at peace. We are grateful for your prayers and trust in the Lord to carry us through this time of sorrow.”
Robert Jr.’s addiction battle was featured on several seasons of RHOSLC, with viewers often applauding Mary for speaking candidly about her son’s struggles.
