'The Housemaid' Author Has Finally Revealed Their Identity and Why They've Kept It Secret

You know how in superhero movies, when the hero wants to live an ordinary life, they just lose the cape and throw on a pair of glasses, and suddenly no one can recognize them? Well, that's kind of been the case with the author of The Housemaid. She's kept her identity a secret for the past 23 years, donning a wig and glasses for public appearances.

The psychological thriller's cover says it was written by Freida McFadden, but fans learned long ago that Freida is a pen name rather than a real person. Naturally, speculations about the author's true identity stirred, with some even claiming that "Freida" was a team of writers and no one person deserves the credit. Well, now that The Housemaid is a major Hollywood film and is in the headlines, Freida has finally revealed who she really is.

It turns out that Freida truly is just one person, and that person is Dr. Sara Cohen. Apparently, Sara has an entirely different career, which she maintains alongside her writing. Sara is a physician specializing in brain disorders who enjoys penning thrillers after long shifts.

Sara explained the main reason for keeping her identity a secret was that she didn't want her career as an author to affect her work as a doctor. However, she hasn't been practicing medicine on a full-time basis since 2023, which adds to her current comfort in showing the world who she is.

Sara shared with USA Today, "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." When asked why she's revealed her identity now, Sara explained, "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."

Sara went on to say that her colleagues were supportive of her once they learned she's an author as well as a physician, and even kept her secret until she was ready to reveal it to the world. The author expressed that she hopes her fans will offer her similar acceptance, and even though she used a fake identity, she insists, "I feel like I have shared the real me all along and everything I've told them has been the truth."

Despite Sara's identity being out in the open, she will continue to write under her pen name in order to preserve brand continuity. Furthermore, Sara recognizes that her long-time readers feel a connection to Freida, and she doesn't want to take that away from them.

As for her disguise, we presume Sara will continue with it for the same reasons. Also, she does wear glasses anyway, and she admits that she chose a wig to hide her identity because she doesn't consider herself skilled at hairstyling. So, basically, nothing is changing at all. Well, at least we now know her name!