The Housemaid author reveals her true identity – and day job as a doctor treating brain disorders

A bestselling author whose hit books include The Housemaid has revealed her true identity.

Known to her fans by her pseudonym Freida McFadden, the thriller novelist’s real name is Sara Cohen, she told USA Today.

“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 said.

The mystery over McFadden’s true identity had continued even as she topped bestseller lists and her books were picked up for film and TV adaptations.

A film adaptation of her novel The Housemaid, starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, was released in late 2025 and has grossed almost $US400 million (($565 million) worldwide, according to IMDb.

More books and adaptations are slated, including a sequel to The Housemaid, which will star Kirsten Dunst, Deadline reported.

Amazon MGM Studios picked up Dear Debbie, McFadden’s latest novel, before it had been published. Released in January 2026, the book has spent the past 10 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.

McFadden said she wrote under a pseudonym because she did not want her books to interfere with her job as a doctor.

“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 said.

Treats brain disorders

She stopped full-time employment in 2023 and now works “once or twice a month”, she said. And while it may look like a “disguise”, McFadden said she wears a wig because “I have no idea how to style my hair”.

Before she revealed her true identity, McFadden was already known to be a doctor who treats brain disorders.

She had previously said in interviews that her self-published debut, The Devil Wears Scrubs, was based on her experience at medical school.

She told The New York Times in 2024 that “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.”

Even though her real name is now public, she said she would still like to be known as Freida.

“I feel like I have shared the real me all along, and everything I’ve told them has been the truth,” she said.

“Even though the name will be a surprise, nothing else will. I’ve always been genuine with my readers.”

The Telegraph, London