Child actor Kaylee Hottle dead at 18 after tragic accident
Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress who played Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, has died at 18.
She passed on the morning of July 21 following a car accident, Fox News Digital confirmed, in Maryland. Her father, Joshua Hottle, shared the news in a livestream conducted in American Sign Language, according to TMZ. He said he'd been told his daughter was involved in a 
car accident, and that officials later informed him her heart stopped on the way to the hospital. Joshua traveled from Texas to claim her body.
Kaylee was a Virginia native born into a multigenerational deaf family. Before her film career, she appeared in commercials and advocacy projects centered on deaf awareness, work that led to her casting in a major studio production while she was still a child.
She made her feature debut in 2021 as Jia, a young deaf girl who communicates with Kong through sign language and becomes the emotional center of the film. Her performance drew wide praise and brought a deaf character, played by a deaf actress, into one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood.
Kaylee reprised the role three years later in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The sequel expanded the character and gave more room to her signing, keeping Jia's bond with Kong at the heart of the story. She appeared alongside Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens, Brian Tyree Henry and Fala Chen.
Outside her performances, Kaylee used her visibility to push for greater inclusion of deaf actors and better representation on screen. She appeared at conventions and press events, often signing with fans, and became a recognizable figure among deaf audiences who had rarely seen themselves reflected in blockbuster filmmaking.
Her acting career had only recently begun. She had been part of the Monsterverse franchise since she was a teenager, and her two film roles made her one of the most prominent deaf performers of her generation.
No further details about the crash have been released. Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros., which produced the films, have not issued statements.Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actor best known for her starring role in two Godzilla films, has died in a car crash in Maryland. She was 18. Hottle was one of two passengers in the car when it went off the road and hit a culvert in Ijamsville.The driver was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the other passenger declined medical treatment, according to the sheriff's office.Excessive speed is believed to be a factor in the crash, which is under investigation. Hottle was a native signer of American Sign Language, and her family members are also deaf. Her parents, Joshua and Ketsi Hottle, shared emotional video statements about her death on social media sites.
"Kaylee's mum and four siblings are crushed," her father said in a post. "They are together at home, grieving. I am on my way to Maryland to bring Kaylee's body back home."
Hottle's heart stopped before she arrived at a hospital, transported by air from the scene of the accident, her father said.
"Very grateful for the 18 years we had together - and wish we had more," he said.
Joshua Hottle also contacted the driver, described by the sheriff's office as a 19-year-old Frederick man.
"I have forgiven you," he said. "Don't let this incident ruin the rest of your life."In Godzilla vs. Kong and the sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Hottle played an orphaned girl named Jia who sees beyond Kong's threatening appearance and forms a special bond with the monster, communicating with him using sign language.
"I'm so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed Kaylee," her Godzilla co-star Millie Bobby Brown posted on Instagram.Hottle previously appeared in a 2021 television episode of Magnum P.I. She was listed as appearing in the upcoming film What Doesn't Kill Us.
Other prominent deaf actors also shared messages of grief online.
"I am absolutely gutted about the passing of sweet Kaylee Hottle. May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity," Oscar winner Marlee Matlin wrote on Instagram.
Fellow Oscar winner Troy Kotsur, who starred in the film Coda, said Hottle's death made him think of his own daughter, and reminded him not to take time for granted.
"I have no words to express on what happened this morning," Kotsur wrote, offering his "deepest condolences" to the Hottle family.
Joshua says he learned Kaylee was involved in a serious car accident ... and officials called him shortly after this initial shock to inform him her heart stopped on the way to the hospital.
Kaylee -- an Atlanta, Georgia native -- comes from a multi-generational deaf family. She got her start in commercials ... notably a PSA for the live video messaging app Glide, which is used by many members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, when she was just 9 years old.
In 2021, Kaylee played Jia in "Godzilla vs. Kong" ... a teenager who communicates with King Kong via sign language and lives on Skull Island with Rebecca Hall's character Dr. Ilene Andrews. She reprised the role in the 2024 movie "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire."
18-year-old actress who appeared in two "Godzilla" films, died early Tuesday in a car accident in the US state of Maryland, police said.Hottle and another passenger were in a 1995 Honda Accord driven by a 19-year-old man when it veered off a two-lane highway and struck a culvert, according to Frederick County Sheriff's Office."Excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision," said the force, which responded to the scene around 2:52 am (0652 GMT) Tuesday and is investigating the crash.Hottle was transported to a hospital where she was later pronounced dead, police said. The driver sustained injuries not believed to be life-threatening, while the other passenger declined medical treatment.
Kaylee is also credited with an appearance in the "Magnum P.I." reboot series ... playing a character named Joon in a season 4 episode.She was just 18 years old.The actress, who is deaf, played the major role of "Jia" in "Godzilla v Kong" and the sequel "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire."She was nominated in 2024 for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.Her father, Joshua Hottle, first shared news of her death in American Sign Language in a tearful video posted to Facebook.Texas School for the Deaf, where Hottle was a student, said on social media that her death was a "tremendous loss.""Our hearts are with Kaylee's family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time," it said.
"At this time, we have very limited information and ask that everyone respect the privacy of Kaylee's family and refrain from sharing or speculating about the circumstances surrounding the accident."
Posted on 2026/07/22 09:28 AM