A ball socket assembly, comprising: a housing made of a monolithic piece including a lower wall and having an inner bore (34, 36, 38) which extends along a central axis from a closed first end at said lower wall to an open second end opposite of said lower wall, and including a shoulder which faces towards said open second end, the shoulder is in the inner bore which has a first, second, and third portions (34, 36, 38) with progressively increasing diameters (D1, D2, D3), more specifically, the first portion adjacent the closed first end has a first diameter, the second portion has a greater second diameter, and the third portion adjacent the open second end has a still greater third diameter; a ball stud having a ball portion and a shank portion, said ball portion being disposed in said inner bore (34, 36, 38) of said housing, said ball portion having opposing first and second hemispheres, and said shank portion projecting out of said housing through said open second end; an exit bearing disposed in said inner bore (34, 36, 38) of said housing, said exit bearing being made of a polymeric material, said exit bearing being in slidable contact with at least one of said first and second hemispheres of said ball portion of said ball stud, and said exit bearing having an upper surface which faces axially towards said open second end of said housing; a cover plate having a top surface and a bottom surface (58, 59, 60), wherein said top surface of said cover plate is in engagement with a lip of said housing at said open second end of said inner bore (34, 36, 38), wherein said bottom surface (58, 59, 60) has an outer portion that sits against said shoulder of said housing to establish a fixed position of said cover plate within said inner bore (34, 36, 38), and wherein said cover plate is in direct contact with said upper surface of said exit bearing along a surface-to-surface contact area that has an annular shape to capture said exit bearing in said inner bore (34, 36, 38) of said housing; and said surface-to-surface contact area being angled axially towards said open second end of said housing from a radially outermost end of said surface-to-surface contact area to a radially innermost end of said surface-to-surface contact area for supporting said exit bearing against radial expansion in response to axial loads being applied on said exit bearing from said ball portion of said ball stud. a housing made of a monolithic piece including a lower wall and having an inner bore (34, 36, 38) which extends along a central axis from a closed first end at said lower wall to an open second end opposite of said lower wall, and including a shoulder which faces towards said open second end, the shoulder is in the inner bore which has a first, second, and third portions (34, 36, 38) with progressively increasing diameters (D1, D2, D3), more specifically, the first portion adjacent the closed first end has a first diameter, the second portion has a greater second diameter, and the third portion adjacent the open second end has a still greater third diameter; a ball stud having a ball portion and a shank portion, said ball portion being disposed in said inner bore (34, 36, 38) of said housing, said ball portion having opposing first and second hemispheres, and said shank portion projecting out of said housing through said open second end; an exit bearing disposed in said inner bore (34, 36, 38) of said housing, said exit bearing being made of a polymeric material, said exit bearing being in slidable contact with at least one of said first and second hemispheres of said ball portion of said ball stud, and said exit bearing having an upper surface which faces axially towards said open second end of said housing; a cover plate having a top surface and a bottom surface (58, 59, 60), wherein said top surface of said cover plate is in engagement with a lip of said housing at said open second end of said inner bore (34, 36, 38), wherein said bottom surface (58, 59, 60) has an outer portion that sits against said shoulder of said housing to establish a fixed position of said cover plate within said inner bore (34, 36, 38), and wherein said cover plate is in direct contact with said upper surface of said exit bearing along a surface-to-surface contact area that has an annular shape to capture said exit bearing in said inner bore (34, 36, 38) of said housing; and said surface-to-surface contact area being angled axially towards said open second end of said housing from a radially outermost end of said surface-to-surface contact area to a radially innermost end of said surface-to-surface contact area for supporting said exit bearing against radial expansion in response to axial loads being applied on said exit bearing from said ball portion of said ball stud.