Kaylee Hottle, Godzilla v Kong actress, dies age 18

Wednesday, 22 July 2026

Kaylee Hottle, the actress best known for playing the character Jia in Godzilla movies, has died at age 18.

Kaylee Hottle, an actress best known for playing the character Jia in Godzilla movies, has died at age 18.

Her father, Joshua Hottle, shared the news in a deeply emotional Facebook livestream.

The stream was in American Sign Language (ASL) as the Hottle family, including Kaylee, are all deaf. “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take,” is the name of the video.

Joshua Hottle later confirmed to TMZ that Kaylee was killed in a car accident on Tuesday morning (local time) in Maryland, United States.

Kaylee Hottle attends the world premiere of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in 2024.

A post from Texas School for the Deaf, where Hottle attended, said: “Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time”.

In the 2021 film Godzilla v Kong, Hottle played Jia, a deaf orphan who bonds with Kong.

She reprised the character in the 2024 film Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.