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The child star who befriended King Kong on screen has died in a car crash in Maryland. Kaylee Hottle, known for playing Jia in 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong and 2024's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, was 18. The Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, where she was a senior, confirmed her death "with profound sadness" on Tuesday. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office said Hottle was a passenger in a 1995 Honda Accord that came off the road and hit a culvert around 3am Tuesday, NBC News reports. The driver, a 19-year-old man, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries; another passenger declined treatment at the scene. Investigators say excessive speed is believed to have played a role.
Hottle was deaf, as were members of her family for several generations on her father's side, the New York Times reports. Hottle's father, Joshua, announced her death in a video in American Sign Language on Facebook, saying he was flying from Texas to Maryland. "I am taking a flight that I never would like to take," he said, per WBAL. Jia communicated with King Kong mainly in ASL in Godzilla vs. Kong, her movie debut.
"Our hearts are with Kaylee's family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time," her school said. In a 2024 interview with the Houston Chronicle, Hottle spoke of her love for the school and said she hoped to inspire others. "I'd like to see more deaf young actresses get motivated when they see me on screen and hopefully they'll have a chance in Hollywood as well," she said. "But I just hope that they'll be inspired, especially deaf people, to be inspired to want to be an actor or actress when they see me on screen." (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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