‘The Housemaid’ Author Freida McFadden Reveals Her True Identity

“The Housemaid” author Freida McFadden said during a recent interview with USA Today that “it’s time” to unveil her true identity. She said her real name is Sara Cohen, and she works as a brain doctor when not writing books.

“I’m at a point in my career when I’m tired of this being a secret,” she said. “I’m tired of people debating if I’m a real person or if I’m three men. I am a real person and I have a real identity and I don’t have anything to hide.”

Cohen said she took a break from her practice a year after publishing “The Housemaid” in 2022. She tried to keep the pseudonym under wraps, but her co-workers eventually found out. Luckily for Cohen, they were “really nice about it” and agreed to keep her author identity a secret.

“My whole goal was to keep it a secret until I was [ready to] step back from my doctor job, so it wouldn’t be like everyone I work with suddenly knew and it compromised my ability to do my job,” she recalled. “But I have stepped away from my job. I’m only working like once or twice a month.”

Cohen said she still plans to use the Freida McFadden moniker even though her real name is out in the open.

“Even though I haven’t told my real name until now, I feel like I have shared the real me all along and everything I’ve told them has been the truth,” she explained. “Even though the name will be a surprise, nothing else will. I’ve always been genuine with my readers.”

Paul Feig recently adapted “The Housemaid” for Lionsgate with Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried in the starring roles. Against a reported budget of $35 million, the twisty domestic drama went on to gross nearly $400 million worldwide.