Here are all the Real Housewives who have shockingly been involved in cults
'As a young girl, I knew something was wrong'
In the world of Real Housewives, we’re used to dramatic dinners, explosive reunions, and feuds that spiral over absolutely nothing, but real-life cult connections? Yeah, that’s a whole different level.
From eyebrow-raising spiritual leadership to women who’ve openly admitted they once escaped deeply controlling religious groups, a handful of Housewives have stories that go way beyond the usual Bravo chaos.
Some of these ties are alleged, some are self-confessed, and some sit firmly in that uncomfortable grey area that leaves people asking a lot of questions.
Whether it’s whispers from former church members, shocking personal revelations, or pasts that only came to light after casting announcements, these Housewives prove that truth can seemingly be stranger and darker than fiction.
RHOSLC’s Mary Cosby
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Mary Cosby of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has been at the center of some of the franchise’s wildest cult-related allegations.
Since inheriting leadership of Faith Temple Pentecostal Church, originally founded by her grandmother, former members have publicly described the congregation as a cult-like organisation with intense spiritual and financial pressure on followers, reports People.
Allegations include members feeling coerced into huge donations, working for little to no pay, and being emotionally manipulated. These were claims explored in the TLC docuseries The Cult of the Real Housewife.
Mary denies that the church is a cult and says the accusations come from people with misunderstandings or personal agendas.
Whether you believe the allegations or not, this storyline definitely reads like reality TV, but it’s grounded in real testimonies on and off the show.
RHOBH’s Amanda Frances
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RHOBH newbie Amanda Frances has publicly shared that she once spent around two years in a religious group she now describes as a “cult,” one that she says was controlling, isolating, and restrictive about who she could see, date, or even communicate with.
While details about the specific group aren’t super clear, Amanda has talked about that chapter in her own words, calling it “really frightening” and something she escaped from before going on to build her coaching and author career.
This part of her background is now part of her narrative about spiritual freedom vs control. And it’s expected to be a topic on this season of Beverly Hills.
RHOC’s Elizabeth Lyn Vargas
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Elizabeth Lyn Vargas’ story is one of the darkest and most upsetting cult links in the entire Real Housewives universe, and it’s something she’s spoken about openly and emotionally on The Real Housewives of Orange County.
Long before the glam, the diamonds, and the Bravo cameras, Elizabeth says she was raised in a religious cult from birth until her early teens.
Elizabeth has shared that she grew up in a group called the Faith Bible Tabernacle Church, where life was extremely controlled.
Members lived on a compound, followed strict rules, and were cut off from the outside world. She’s said they weren’t allowed to leave freely, wear what they wanted, or even seek medical care, per Page Six.
What makes it even more shocking is that Elizabeth’s own family was reportedly deeply involved.
Her grandmother was the leader of the group, and her father was one of its main preachers, meaning this wasn’t something she could just opt out of as a child.
Elizabeth has also spoken about suffering abuse during her time in the cult, experiences that she says stayed with her long into adulthood.
She said on the show, via People: “From zero to 13, I was raised in this religious environment… My grandmother was the head of the religious cult and my father was one of the main preachers as well.”
“As a young girl, I knew something was wrong with what was going on in this church… We couldn’t wear anything else but this uniform. We couldn’t eat anything but what they made us or what they shot.
The RHOC star added: “We couldn’t leave the ranch, we were stuck on a commune. We couldn’t even go to a hospital, they knew how to control every single person on that property”
Eventually, after Elizabeth spoke up about what was happening, authorities intervened, and the group was reportedly shut down.
Reality Shrine reached out to Mary M Cosby for comment. For all the latest reality TV cast member news, scandals, gossip and updates – like Reality Shrine on Facebook.