What Is Freida McFadden's Real Name? All About “The Housemaid” Author’s True Identity

Emily BlackwoodThu, April 9, 2026 at 5:26 PM UTC

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Freida McFadden attends "The Housemaid" screening on December 02, 2025 in New York City.Credit: Manoli Figetakis/WireImage -

After years of writing under a pen name, Freida McFadden revealed her true identity in April 2026

She previously kept her name private to separate her medical career and because her books felt deeply personal

The success of The Housemaid movie and confirmation of its sequel inspired her to go public with her real name

Freida McFadden has revealed the answer to her fans’ biggest mystery: her true identity.

The Housemaid author has been vocal about maintaining a "separate" moniker from her career as a doctor specializing in brain disorders. She said during a December 2025 appearance on Jenna Bush Hager’s Open Book podcast that she never "considered not writing under a pen name."

"These books come from inside my brain," McFadden said. "It's almost like, when people are reading it, it's like they're reading my diary, and it's a little embarrassing."

Following the success of her 2022 thriller novel's movie adaptation —and the confirmation of a sequel — the author decided to go public with her identity in an April 2026 interview with USA Today.

Here's everything to know about Fredia McFadden's real name, and why she kept it hidden for so long.

What is Freida McFadden’s real name?

Freida McFadden holds her book 'The Intruder'.Credit: Freida McFadden/Instagram

After 13 years of writing under a pseudonym, McFadden shared her real name with USA Today: Sara Cohen.

She previously kept it hidden because until late 2023, she worked full-time as a doctor specializing in brain disorders.

"Even though I haven't told my real name until now, I feel like I have shared the real me all along and everything I've told them has been the truth," McFadden said, noting that she'll continue to publish books under her pen name.

She added, "Even though the name will be a surprise, nothing else will. I've always been genuine with my readers."

Why did Freida McFadden write under a pseudonym?

Freida McFadden; 'The Housemaid' by Freida McFadden.Credit: Shutterstock; Grand Central Publishing

McFadden told USA Today that the "whole goal" in keeping her real identity a secret was to protect her ability to do her job as a doctor until she was ready to "step back."

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Since 2023, she's been practicing just a few times a month.

"I'm at a point in my career when I'm tired of this being a secret," the author explained. "I'm tired of people debating if I'm a real person or if I'm three men. I am a real person and I have a real identity and I don't have anything to hide."

Though her medical career was the main reason she kept her identity private, McFadden previously admitted she also worried about how friends and colleagues might view her work.

"When I was at the hospital working, I wanted to just be a doctor," she shared on Open Book. "I didn't want to be talking about my books."

However, her coworkers found out about her double life before she went public. Thankfully, she told USA Today that they were "really nice about it" and kept her secret.

In a March 2025 interview with The Times, McFadden shared how she came up with her pseudonym, explaining that Freida was the acronym for the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database. Meanwhile, her fake last name came about because she "wanted something a little humorous-sounding."

Does Freida McFadden wear a disguise?

Freida McFadden.Credit: Freida McFadden/Instagram

In her interview with USA Today, McFadden confirmed the long-standing rumors that she does wear a disguise to protect her identity.

However, the author maintained that her glasses are real and she only wears a wig because she has "no idea how to style" her hair.

She's previously poked fun at the online speculation about her looks, including one reader's claim about her author photo.

“I saw a post somebody made where somebody said that in my author photo, my cleavage was photoshopped,” McFadden said on Open Book, adding that another "very funny" rumor is that she's actually "three men."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”