Kaylee Hottle’s death has left her Godzilla costars in mourning. Millie Bobby Brown led the tributes after the 18-year-old actor died in a car accident. The young performer, best known for playing Jia in the Godzilla film series, died in Maryland, according to her father, Joshua Hottle. Her passing has prompted an outpouring of condolences from castmates and members of the hearing-impaired community.
Millie Bobby Brown and others pay tribute to Kaylee Hottle
Brown remembered her former costar with a heartfelt message on Instagram Stories, sharing a black-and-white photo of Hottle holding a King Kong toy. “I’m so devastated to hear this,” Brown wrote, adding that Hottle would be “deeply missed.”
Hottle appeared alongside Brown in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, where she portrayed Jia, a girl with hearing impairment who shared a unique bond with Kong through sign language. She returned in 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, reuniting with Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry as the MonsterVerse franchise expanded its story.
Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin also paid tribute after learning of Hottle’s death. The actor, who has long advocated for Deaf representation in Hollywood, said she was “absolutely gutted” by the news. Matlin remembered Hottle’s “beauty and talent” and encouraged people to be kinder to one another while cherishing time with loved ones.
Joshua Hottle told TMZ that his daughter died in a car crash in Maryland on July 21. She was only 18. While many fans knew her from the MonsterVerse films, she also appeared in an episode of Magnum P.I. in 2021.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Hottle was part of a multigenerational Deaf family. Her acting journey kicked off when she was just 9 years old after landing a commercial for Convo, a video messaging platform widely used by Deaf and hard-of-hearing people (via People).
Although her screen career was brief, Hottle quickly became a standout face in the Godzilla franchise. Her portrayal of Jia introduced audiences to one of the series’ most emotional relationships, making her performances especially memorable for fans and colleagues alike. Her work also helped bring greater visibility to hearing-impaired performers in mainstream Hollywood productions.
