The Housemaid author Frieda McFadden has revealed what she looks like without her wig after finally revealing her true identity.
McFadden wore a lab coat and glasses in the first real photo she shared with Today.com on Monday.
The New York-born doctor had a label on her coat with her real name, Sarah Cohen.
“It became clear that the mystery surrounding my real name was taking on a legend of its own, and I decided it was time to share it,” McFadden said in a statement to the magazine.
The 45-year-old explained that over the years, people online have “teased” her about learning her real name and threatened to tell people.
“I laughed because I wasn’t in witness protection!” she said. “I always wanted to focus on my books, not my identity.”
She further added, “I write because I love to write and I love sharing my work with readers.”
McFadden also said she was “surprised” by the public’s reaction to her identity, which she finally revealed last week.
“While I am and will continue to be a very private person, I am so honored by the outpouring of love and support,” the author said. “I read a lot of comments saying, ‘This is the plot twist I needed!’ That made me smile.”
However, McFadden has made it clear that she intends to continue publishing books under her pen name.
she said: “It was always my intention to entertain people, and that’s what I’ll keep doing as long as you keep reading.”
Until her interview with USA Today on April 8, McFadden withheld her real name and her profession as a brain disease doctor to protect her privacy.
“My biggest goal was to keep it a secret until I was (ready) to step down from my medical career, so everyone I work with wouldn’t suddenly find out and my ability to do my job would be compromised,” she said.
McFadden noted that many of her colleagues already knew her identity but kept it a secret from her.
The author published her first book, The Devil in Scrubs, in 2013, but it wasn’t until the publication of The Housemaid in 2022 that she became a household name.
“The Housemaid” was recently made into a movie starring Sidney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, and became a box office hit, grossing nearly $400 million worldwide.
A sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret, is already in production, starring Sweeney and Kirsten Dunst.
