“The Housemaid” author Frieda McFadden said in a recent interview with USA Today that “the time has come” to reveal her true identity. She said her real name is Sarah Cohen and that when she’s not writing books, she works as a brain doctor.
“I’m at a point in my career where I’m tired of this being a secret,” she said. “I’m tired of people debating whether I’m a real person or three guys. I’m a real person, I have a real identity, and I have nothing to hide.”
Cohen said she took a break from work a year after publishing “The Housemaid” in 2022. She tried to keep her pen name secret, but her co-workers eventually found out. Fortunately for Cohen, they were “very nice” to her and agreed to keep her authorship a secret.
“My biggest goal was to keep it a secret until I was[ready]to step down from my medical career so that everyone I worked with didn’t suddenly find out and my ability to do my job was compromised,” she recalled. “But I’m out of work. I only work once or twice a month.”
Cohen said that although her real name has been made public, she will continue to use the nickname Frieda McFadden.
“I haven’t revealed my real name until now, but I feel like I’ve always shared the real me and everything I’ve told them has been true,” she explained. “Even if the name is a surprise, nothing else is. I have always been honest with my readers.”
Paul Feig recently adapted The Housemaid for Lionsgate, starring Sidney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. Against a reported $35 million budget, this winding domestic drama grossed nearly $400 million worldwide.
