Entertainment
Hollywood Mourns as Godzilla vs. Kong Star Kaylee Hottle Passes Away at Age 18
The late actress, who was deaf, was best known for starring as Jia in two Godzilla films, the first in 2021. She then reprised her role for Godzilla X Kong: The New Empir 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.she young deaf actress best known for portraying Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), died at the age of 18 following a car crash in Maryland. Her death was confirmed by her family, prompting an outpouring of tributes from fans,
fellow actors, and members of the deaf community. Hottle was widely praised for bringing authentic deaf representation to the MonsterVerse films, where her character shared a unique emotional bond with Kong. Her performances inspired audiences around the world and helped raise awareness about inclusivity in Hollywood.
Kaylee is also credited with an appearance in the “Magnum P.I.” reboot series … playing a character named Joon in a season 4 episode. In a 23-minute livestream on Facebook, later confirmed to TMZ, her dad, Joshua Hottle, shared in American Sign Langua,
Talking about her creative process, she said at the time: ‘I would read the script, and [director] Adam [Wingard] would explain to me exactly what he wanted me to do. And I also had my parents’ support and translation of the script, and I just brought it to life.
