Kaylee Hottle, well-known for Godzilla vs Kong, dies at 18

Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress best known for playing Jia in two films from the Godzilla franchise, has died at the age of 18 after a car accident in Maryland, her father has confirmed.

Godzilla vs Kong actress dies at 18

Hottle was killed in a crash early Tuesday morning, according to her father, Joshua Hottle, who shared the news with TMZ. Her death was also reported by multiple media outlets, including Variety and The Guardian.

Joshua Hottle later addressed his daughter’s death in a nearly 23-minute social media livestream conducted in American Sign Language. He explained that he had been in Texas when he was contacted about the serious accident and had to travel to Maryland to claim his daughter’s body.

According to the account shared by her father, officials later informed him that Kaylee’s heart had stopped while she was being taken to hospital. The circumstances of the crash have not been publicly detailed in the information available so far.

Hottle was best known internationally for her role as Jia in the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong. She returned as the character in the 2024 sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Jia is a deaf child who communicates using sign language and develops a special connection with Kong, making the character an important human presence within the MonsterVerse films.

Her casting was also significant for representation. Hottle was herself deaf and came from a multi-generational deaf family. Her performances brought an authentic connection to a character whose relationship with Kong was built largely through visual communication and sign language.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Hottle began her career at a young age. She appeared in commercials, including a public service announcement for Glide, a live video messaging service used by members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. She was nine years old when she began appearing in such work.

Her acting career later led her to one of Hollywood’s biggest monster franchises. Godzilla vs. Kong, directed by Adam Wingard, brought together the two iconic creatures in a major Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures production. Hottle’s Jia became one of the film’s central human characters, with the story using her relationship with Kong as an emotional counterpoint to the destruction surrounding the two monsters.

She reprised the role in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which expanded the mythology of the MonsterVerse and further explored Jia’s connection to the world of the Titans. Hottle’s work in the sequel earned her a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor, according to reports.