Young Deaf Actress Kaylee Hottle Dies in Maryland Car Crash
Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actress known for her role as Jia in the Godzilla vs. Kong franchise, died in a car accident in Maryland. She was a senior at the Texas School for the Deaf.
Kaylee Hottle, who played Jia in "Godzilla vs. Kong" and its sequel "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire," died in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland, on Tuesday morning. Her father, Joshua Hottle, announced the tragedy in a 23-minute Facebook livestream using American Sign Language, adding that he was taking a flight he never wanted to take.
Born on May 1, 2007, Hottle was 18 or 19 at the time of her death, according to differing reports. She was part of a multi-generational deaf family and attended the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, where the school expressed profound sadness over her loss.
Hottle first appeared on screen as a young native of Skull Island who gives a handmade doll to Kong, a role she reprised in the sequel. Co-star Alexander Skarsgård recalled that he and actress Rebecca Hall learned sign language to communicate with her off-camera, praising her professionalism and expressive performance.
In addition to the Godzilla franchise, Hottle appeared in a 2021 episode of the CBS reboot of "Magnum P.I." and featured in commercials aimed at the deaf community. She received a nomination for Best Younger Performer in a Film at the 2025 Saturn Awards for her work in "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire."