The author behind the best-selling thriller series that includes The Housemaid has ended years of speculation by revealing her real name. Freida McFadden, who had maintained a secret identity by writing under a pseudonym and appearing in public wearing a wig and glasses, has confirmed she is actually Sara Cohen.
In an interview with USA Today, Cohen said she was tired of the secrecy. “I’m at a point in my career when I’m tired of this being a secret. I’m tired of people debating if I’m a real person or if I’m three men,” she explained. “I am a real person and I have a real identity and I don’t have anything to hide.”
The 45-year-old is also a doctor specialising in brain disorders. She originally adopted the pen name to keep her writing life separate from her hospital job, fearing it could compromise her work. Colleagues eventually learned of her double life but kept it secret. Cohen has now reduced her medical shifts to occasional work, as balancing both careers became unsustainable.
Cohen lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband and two children. She began publishing in 2013 with the self-released The Devil Wears Scrubs, but found major success with The Housemaid in 2022. Across 27 novels, she has sold tens of millions of copies worldwide. Last year, a film adaptation of The Housemaid starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried grossed nearly $400 million (£300 million). A sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret, is now in development.
Despite shedding her anonymity, Cohen said she will continue to publish under the name Freida McFadden. “Even though I haven’t told my real name until now, I feel like I have shared the real me all along,” she said. “Even though the name will be a surprise, nothing else will. I’ve always been genuine with my readers.”
