Jen Shah reached out “privately” to Mary Cosby to send her condolences after her son Robert Cosby Jr. died.
In a clip from her People interview that was posted via Instagram on Thursday, April 2, Shah, 52, said she reached out to her former Real Housewives of Salt Lake City costar, 53, following the tragic news.
“I did reach out to Mary. I privately reached out to Mary because I felt like that was the respectful thing to do,” Shah told the outlet. “ I sent her a card, you know, and just told her how deeply sorry that I was to hear about the passing of Robert Jr.”
Shah added that she told Mary that “she’s in my family’s prayers every day” after hearing the news.
“Even though, you know, I hadn’t talked to her for, obviously, a few years while I’ve been gone that I care about her, especially with right now, you know, what she’s going through,” Shah added. “I chose to reach out privately because I didn’t want it to be a distraction if I were to do it publicly.
Shah added that she was concerned that the focus might shift to be on her response to the news rather than the loss itself.
“I didn’t want it to become about me responding. I wanted it to remain about what Mary was going through and about her son and honoring his memory,” Shah explained.
Us Weekly confirmed on February 25, that Robert Jr. died at age 23 following a suspected overdose in his parents’ Utah home.
“Our beloved son Robert Jr. has been called home to the Lord,” Mary shared in a statement to Us. “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 RHOSLC throughout the past two seasons. Viewers often applauded Mary for her candid approach to opening up about her son’s struggles.
Meanwhile, Shah was released from Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, on December 10, 2025.
Upon her release, Judge Sidney Stein also ordered Shah to serve five years of supervised release “to make sure you don’t end up committing another crime.”
Shah had been in custody since February 17, 2023, for her role in a long-running nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme.
In her first interview since her release, Shah explained to People on Wednesday, April 1, why she ultimately accepted wrongdoing and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July 2022 after previously entering a not guilty plea.
“There were actual victims as a result of this conspiracy. I had never seen anything with my own eyes. That changed things for me,” she added. “I’m sorry. I’m accepting responsibility, and I’ve made it my mission to make sure that people are paid back.”
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