Best-selling The Housemaid author Freida McFadden reveals true identity
Best-selling The Housemaid author Freida McFadden reveals true identity
A publishing enigma has finally been unraveled as the renowned American author, known by millions as Freida McFadden, revealed her actual name. McFadden had long used the pen name to keep her dual life hidden, but the secret is now out. She is Sara Cohen, a doctor who has built a thriving career writing psychological thrillers.
McFadden’s success with novels like *The Housemaid* has made her a household name. The 2022 book was adapted into a film starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, boosting sales to 2.6 million in the UK in 2025. Her work there ranked second in best-seller lists, trailing only Julia Donaldson. In the US, she has sold six million print copies, cementing her status as a prolific writer with 29 published titles.
Her decision to step forward came after years of balancing two identities. Cohen first adopted the pseudonym in 2013 when self-publishing *The Devil Wears Scrubs*, a semi-autobiographical story about her experiences as a resident doctor. She chose “Freida” as a nod to the medical term Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database, a playful inside joke.
“I’m at a point in my career when I’m tired of this being a secret,” she explained. “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.”
While working as a neurologist in Boston, she continued writing, but kept her author persona separate. “At work, I want to be a doctor,” she said in 2024. “A lot of my books have medical stuff in them, and I don’t want people saying, ‘Is this based on me?'” She also expressed concerns about social anxiety. “It’s not just about privacy but also about social anxiety,” she added. “My success as an author has escalated fears that I may not be ‘that amazing person that everyone expects you to be’.”
McFadden’s revelation followed her shift to part-time work in 2023. Now, she dedicates less time to her medical career, making it easier to share her true name. “My whole goal was to keep it a secret until I was ready to step back from my doctor job,” she told USA Today. “But I have stepped away from my work. I’m only working once or twice a month.”
A colleague’s recognition of her in a Freida photo this January marked the turning point. “The cat is out of the bag,” she said. Despite this, her fans remain engaged, and she still values the pen name. “Even though I haven’t told my real name until now, I feel like I have shared the real me all along,” she claimed. “Nothing else will change—everything I’ve told them has been the truth.”