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'The Housemaid' author Freida McFadden reveals true identity
The Housemaid’s Secret is set to launch on December 17, 2027
With The Housemaid wrapping up a successful movie run and The Housemaid‘s Secret on the horizon, the author of the novel is emerging from obscurity.
The author known as Freida McFadden has recently shared that “the time has come” to unveil her true identity, disclosing that her real name is Sara Cohen.
When she's not writing the The Housemaid series, she works as a doctor focusing on brain disorders.
“I’m at a stage in my career where I no longer wish to keep this hidden,” she told USA Today. “I’m weary of people speculating if I’m a real individual or just an alias for a group. I am indeed a real person with a genuine identity, and I have nothing to conceal.”
Cohen reduced her full-time medical work in 2023, a year after releasing The Housemaid.
Her colleagues eventually discovered her pen name, but they were “remarkably supportive” and kept her identity under wraps.
“My intention was to maintain secrecy until I had decided to step back from my medical career, so it wouldn’t feel like my entire workplace suddenly found out and it impacted my professional responsibilities,” mentioned Cohen. “But now, I’ve distanced myself from my job. I’m currently working maybe once or twice a month.”
Even after revealing her real name, the writer intends to continue using McFadden for her books.
“Even though my real name was a secret until now, I believe I have been open about who I am all along, and everything I’ve shared has been sincere. The name might surprise some, but nothing else will change. I’ve always been truthful with my audience,” she noted.
Adapted from her 2023 novel The Handmaid’s Secret, Paul Feig returns to direct the forthcoming Lionsgate film with Sydney Sweeney as Millie Calloway. Kirsten Dunst joins as co-star.
The Housemaid’s Secret, set to launch on December 17, 2027, follows Millie as she takes on a housekeeper role where she is forbidden to meet her employer—leading to the uncovering of deep-seated truths behind a closed door that are even more shocking than her own.
