Best-selling The Housemaid author Freida McFadden reveals true identity
Best-selling The Housemaid author Freida McFadden reveals true identity
Millions of readers have long speculated about the identity of Freida McFadden, the acclaimed US author behind the popular thriller series. That mystery has now been resolved, with McFadden confirming she is actually Sara Cohen. The revelation came after she shared her real name with USA Today, marking a significant shift in her public persona.
A Career Built on Secrets
Cohen, who has remained anonymous under the pseudonym Freida McFadden, has carved a prominent place in the literary world over the past few years. Her novels, including the bestselling The Housemaid, have sold millions of copies worldwide. The 2022 release of The Housemaid not only topped the charts but also inspired a film adaptation starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried.
“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.”
As McFadden, she was the second highest-selling author in the UK in 2025, with over 2.6 million books sold. Her success in the US has reached six million print copies. Only Julia Donaldson, the author of The Gruffalo, surpassed her in total UK sales that year.
The Double Life
Cohen initially adopted the pen name to protect her identity while self-publishing her debut novel, The Devil Wears Scrubs, in 2013. The name was a nod to her medical background, inspired by the hospital system’s Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database. She continued writing while working as a doctor specializing in brain disorders in Boston, Massachusetts, but maintained a strict separation between her professional and literary roles.
“At work, I want to be a doctor,” she said. “A lot of my books have medical stuff in them, and I don’t want people saying, ‘Is this based on me?’ It feels unprofessional.”
Her dual identity became more complex as her publishing career grew. By 2024, she told the Washington Post that her success as an author had heightened her social anxiety. “I don’t like to be the centre of attention,” she admitted. “I love that people are reading my books, but the spotlight on me specifically is hard… It’s not just about privacy but also about social anxiety.”
Cohen’s revelation came after a colleague recognized her in a Freida-related photo and shared it with others. “One of my colleagues at the hospital recently recognized me in a Freida photo, and told everyone, so the cat is out of the bag,” she said in an interview with the Times. However, she noted that her former coworkers have been respectful about keeping her identity private, even inviting her to a book signing at the hospital.
Revealing Her True Self
In 2023, Cohen transitioned to part-time work as a doctor, allowing her to focus more on writing. She now dedicates only one or two days a month to her medical career. “My whole goal was to keep it a secret until I was ready to step back from my doctor job,” she explained. “So it wouldn’t be like everyone I work with suddenly knew and it compromised my ability to do my job.”
“I just realized I was completely overwhelmed from trying to do both,” she added. “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.”
Cohen still hopes her fans, who identify as McFans or Freida Readahs, will continue to recognize her by the pen name. “Even though the name will be a surprise, nothing else will,” she said. “I’ve always been genuine with my readers.”
