Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actress best known for playing the character Jia in both 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” and 2024’s “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire,” died Tuesday in a car accident in Maryland. She was 19.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed the news in an emotional 23-minute-long Facebook livestream early Tuesday conducted entirely in ASL. In it, Hottle explained that he was flying from Texas to Maryland to claim his daughter’s body.
“I am taking a flight that I never would like to take,” Hottle captioned the video. He informed TMZ, who was the first to report the news of Hottle’s passing, that he learned that his daughter had been involved in a major car accident in Frederick, Maryland, and that law enforcement officials later called him to inform him that her heart had stopped on her way to the hospital.
Born on May 1, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, Hottle comes from a multi-generational deaf family. She began her career appearing in commercials, including one for video relay service Convo. It was her appearance in that commercial that caught the attention of an assistant director who worked on 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island” and later recommended her to the “Godzilla vs. Kong” producers.
She made her feature film debut in that 2021 blockbuster playing Jia, the adopted daughter of Rebecca Hall’s Dr. Ilene Andrews who forms a bond with King Kong through sign language. Hottle reprised the role in 2024’s “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire” and earned a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor for her work in the film.
In addition to her role in the “Godzilla vs. Kong” films, Hottle also appeared in a 2021 episode of “Magnum P.I.” Season 4.
The Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas, where Hottle attended as a student, grieved her death on Instagram.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland,” the school wrote. “Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time.”
“We recognize this loss will have a significant impact on our TSD community,” the institution added. “Please keep Kaylee’s loved ones in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss together.”
