Godzilla vs. Kong’s Kaylee Hottle Dead at 18
By Kim Brown | Jul 21, 2026
Kaylee Hottle has tragically died at the young age of 18
You may recognize the young deaf star from the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong, and the movie’s 2024 sequel, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. She played the role of Jia in those films, and she famously used sign language to communicate with Kong in the movies
Her father, Joshua, confirmed the tragic news in a heart-wrenching 23-minute-long social live stream, which he did in ASL
He said she was in a serious car accident, and was traveling to Maryland to claim her body from authorities
He apparently said that he received a call about the accident, and was told her heart stopped en route to try and save her life in the hospital, TMZ reports
She had also appeared on NBC’s Magnum P.I. series, and had a film in pre-production on IMDb titled What Doesn’t Kill Us
No further details are available at this time. We will provide more information as it becomes available
Our continued thoughts are with Kaylee Hottle‘s friends, family, and loved ones during this time. RIP
