{"id":2511570,"date":"2026-07-21T21:43:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:43:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2511570"},"modified":"2026-07-21T21:43:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:43:13","slug":"kaylee-hottle-deaf-godzilla-actor-dies-at-18-after-car-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/kaylee-hottle-deaf-godzilla-actor-dies-at-18-after-car-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaylee Hottle, Deaf &#8216;Godzilla&#8217; Actor, Dies At 18 After Car Crash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div class=\"cli cli-embed cli-embed--full-width js-no-inject\">\n<div class=\"js-react-hydrator\" style=\"display:contents\" data-component-name=\"YouTube\" data-component-id=\"2784\" data-component-props=\"{&quot;itemType&quot;:&quot;video&quot;,&quot;isLiveblogEmbed&quot;:false,&quot;index&quot;:0,&quot;contentIndexByType&quot;:1,&quot;contentListType&quot;:&quot;embed&quot;,&quot;code&quot;:&quot;&lt;div style=\\&quot;left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\\&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe src=\\&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wp-kHsnrNsQ?rel=0&amp;enablejsapi=1\\&quot; style=\\&quot;top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;\\&quot; allowfullscreen scrolling=\\&quot;no\\&quot; allow=\\&quot;accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;\\&quot; referrerpolicy=\\&quot;strict-origin\\&quot; id=\\&quot;youtube-embed-Wp-kHsnrNsQ-728\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;video&quot;,&quot;meta&quot;:{&quot;author&quot;:&quot;E! News&quot;,&quot;author_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCjDsbbzHgTrGc4Ff26TJtsA&quot;,&quot;cache_age&quot;:86400,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Hollywood is mourning the heartbreaking loss of rising actress Kaylee Hottle, who has tragically died at the age of 18. Best known for her role as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Kaylee became a fan favorite for her powerful on-screen presence and authentic representation of the Deaf community. Her father, Jonathan Hottle, confirmed the news during a Facebook livestream on July 21, revealing that Kaylee was involved in a fatal car crash in Maryland during the early morning hours. According to Jonathan, authorities informed him that Kaylee's heart stopped while she was being transported to the hospital. He shared the devastating update in American Sign Language while preparing to travel from Texas to claim his daughter's body. Born into a multigenerational Deaf family, Kaylee broke barriers in Hollywood through her work. After being discovered during a commercial shoot in 2017, she landed the role of Jia in 2021, portraying a Deaf girl who communicates with Kong using ASL. She also appeared in Magnum P.I. and advocated for greater Deaf representation in entertainment. Full Story: https:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/1434185\/kaylee-hottle-godzilla-vs-kong-star-dead\\n\\n#enews #godzilla #kayleehottle \\n\\nAbout:\\nThe E! News team brings you the latest breaking entertainment, fashion and Pop Culture news. Featuring exclusive segments, celebrity highlights, trend reports and more, the E! News channel is the only destination Pop Culture fans need to stay in the know. Subscribe here: http:\/\/bit.ly\/enewssub\\n\\nConnect:\\nFor More News - https:\/\/eonline.us\/3MASskW\\nE! News App - https:\/\/eonline.onelink.me\/yMtl\/4ead5017\\nShopping - https:\/\/eonline.com\/news\/shop\\nFacebook - https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/enews\/\\nInstagram - https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/enews\/\\nX - https:\/\/x.com\/enews\/\\nTikTok - https:\/\/tiktok.com\/@enews&quot;,&quot;options&quot;:{&quot;_cc_load_policy&quot;:{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Closed captions&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:false},&quot;_end&quot;:{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;End on&quot;,&quot;placeholder&quot;:&quot;ex.: 11, 1m10s&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;_start&quot;:{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Start from&quot;,&quot;placeholder&quot;:&quot;ex.: 11, 1m10s&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&quot;}},&quot;provider_name&quot;:&quot;YouTube&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_height&quot;:720,&quot;thumbnail_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Wp-kHsnrNsQ\/maxresdefault.jpg&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_width&quot;:1280,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Godzilla vs. Kong's Kaylee Hottle Dead at 18 After Car Crash | E! 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Ketsi Hottle&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;joshua-ketsi-hottle&quot;,&quot;links&quot;:{&quot;relativeLink&quot;:&quot;topic\/joshua-ketsi-hottle&quot;,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/topic\/joshua-ketsi-hottle&quot;,&quot;mobileWebLink&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/topic\/joshua-ketsi-hottle&quot;},&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/topic\/joshua-ketsi-hottle&quot;},{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Joshua 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Hottle&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;kaylee-hottle&quot;,&quot;links&quot;:{&quot;relativeLink&quot;:&quot;topic\/kaylee-hottle&quot;,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/topic\/kaylee-hottle&quot;,&quot;mobileWebLink&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/topic\/kaylee-hottle&quot;},&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/topic\/kaylee-hottle&quot;},{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Frederick County Sheriff\u2019 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ad-spot--gam-inline-infinite\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\\r\\n&lt;script type=\\&quot;text\/javascript\\&quot;&gt;\\r\\n  HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\\r\\n\\t\\treturn HPGam.render(\\&quot;inline-infinite\\&quot;, \\&quot;repeating_dynamic_display\\&quot;, false, false);\\r\\n  });\\r\\n&lt;\/script&gt;\\r\\n&quot;],&quot;adCount&quot;:0,&quot;midArticleAdPartner&quot;:null},&quot;isCollectionEmbed&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"cli-embed__embed-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Godzilla vs. Kong&amp;apos;s Kaylee Hottle Dead at 18 After Car Crash | E! News\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wp-kHsnrNsQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actor best known for her <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/godzilla-kong-movie-592aae533e4d42fcc7dc6ebe1de0e83f?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share\" role=\"link\" class=\" js-entry-link cet-external-link\" data-vars-item-name=\"starring role\" data-vars-item-type=\"text\" data-vars-unit-name=\"6a5fd724e4b06bbe43f4ef0b\" data-vars-unit-type=\"buzz_body\" data-vars-target-content-id=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/godzilla-kong-movie-592aae533e4d42fcc7dc6ebe1de0e83f?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share\" data-vars-target-content-type=\"url\" data-vars-type=\"web_external_link\" data-vars-subunit-name=\"article_body\" data-vars-subunit-type=\"component\" data-vars-position-in-subunit=\"0\">starring role<\/a> in two \u201cGodzilla\u201d films, died in a car crash in Maryland early Tuesday morning, the Frederick County Sheriff\u2019s Office said. She was 18.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Hottle was one of two passengers in the car when it went off the road and hit a culvert in Ijamsville before 3 a.m. The driver was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the other passenger declined medical treatment, according to a news release from the sheriff\u2019s office. Excessive speed is believed to be a factor in the crash, which is under investigation, the sheriff\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Hottle was a native signer of American Sign Language, and her family members are also deaf. Her parents, Joshua and Ketsi Hottle, shared emotional video statements about her death on social media sites.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cKaylee\u2019s mom and four siblings are crushed,\u201d her father said in ASL in a post from an airport. \u201cThey are together at home, grieving. I am on my way to Maryland to bring Kaylee\u2019s body back home.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Hottle\u2019s heart stopped before she arrived at a hospital, transported by air from the scene of the accident, her father said. \u201cVery grateful for the 18 years we had together \u2014 and wish we had more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Joshua Hottle also reached out to the driver, described by the sheriff\u2019s office as a 19-year-old Frederick man.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cI have forgiven you,\u201d her father said. \u201cDon\u2019t let this incident ruin the rest of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cI still feel Kaylee is with us,\u201d her mother said in ASL in a post.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>In \u201cGodzilla vs. Kong\u201d and the sequel, \u201cGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire,\u201d Hottle played an orphaned girl named Jia who sees beyond Kong\u2019s threatening appearance and forms a special bond with the monster, communicating with him using sign language.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed Kaylee,\u201d her \u201cGodzilla\u201d co-star Millie Bobby Brown posted on Instagram.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Co-star <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/entertainment-europe-arts-and-robert-eggers-e97bdf5336d5d9bc678bb0378d9e371f\" role=\"link\" class=\" js-entry-link cet-external-link\" data-vars-item-name=\"Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd\" data-vars-item-type=\"text\" data-vars-unit-name=\"6a5fd724e4b06bbe43f4ef0b\" data-vars-unit-type=\"buzz_body\" data-vars-target-content-id=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/entertainment-europe-arts-and-robert-eggers-e97bdf5336d5d9bc678bb0378d9e371f\" data-vars-target-content-type=\"url\" data-vars-type=\"web_external_link\" data-vars-subunit-name=\"article_body\" data-vars-subunit-type=\"component\" data-vars-position-in-subunit=\"1\">Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd<\/a>, who learned ASL to communicate with Hottle, told the pop culture website Junkee in 2021 that he and others were impressed by the young ingenue\u2019s professionalism and her ability to quickly incorporate the director\u2019s notes into her acting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>In a 2024 interview with The Associated Press, Hottle said through an interpreter that she hadn\u2019t watched monster movies before she was cast in \u201cGodzilla,\u201d so her father helped her understand the genre.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cI look up to a lot of people, but the one person I look up to, the few people I look up to mostly, are my parents and my sisters,\u201d Hottle said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Hottle said that when she was working on the first film, she was a bit concerned about whether she would be able to return to her \u201cnormal life,\u201d afterward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cPeople do recognize me at school, yes, but it\u2019s not as bad as I thought it would be,\u201d Hottle said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Hottle previously appeared in a 2021 television episode of \u201cMagnum P.I.\u201d She was listed as appearing in the upcoming film \u201cWhat Doesn\u2019t Kill Us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m so heartbroken. My heart goes out to her family during this unimaginable time,\u201d Alaqua Cox, her co-star in that film and fellow deaf actor, wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Other prominent deaf actors also shared messages of grief online.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cI am absolutely gutted about the passing of sweet Kaylee Hottle. May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity,\u201d Oscar winner Marlee Matlin wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Fellow Oscar winner Troy Kotsur, who starred in the film \u201cCoda,\u201d wrote that Hottle\u2019s death made him think of his own daughter, and reminded him not to take time for granted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cI have no words to express on what happened this morning,\u201d Kotsur wrote, offering his \u201cdeepest condolences\u201d to the Hottle family.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>Officials with Texas School for the Deaf in Austin also announced Hottle\u2019s death on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/impact\/topic\/facebook\">Facebook<\/a>, writing that counseling and support services would be available to her classmates and friends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"primary-cli cli cli-text \">\n<p>\u201cPlease keep Kaylee\u2019s loved ones in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss together,\u201d the school wrote. ___ Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Lage reported from Ann Arbor, Michigan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actor best known for her starring role in two \u201cGodzilla\u201d films, died in a car crash in Maryland early Tuesday morning, the Frederick County Sheriff\u2019s Office said. She was 18. Hottle was one of two passengers in the car when it went off the road and hit a culvert in Ijamsville [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2511571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[495510,495513,350119,495512,495428,495511,495427,495509],"class_list":["post-2511570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-frederick","tag-frederick-county-sheriff-office","tag-godzilla","tag-hottle","tag-joshua-hottle","tag-joshua-ketsi-hottle","tag-kaylee-hottle","tag-sheriff"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kaylee-Hottle-Deaf-Godzilla-Actor-Dies-At-18-After-Car.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2511570"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2511572,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511570\/revisions\/2511572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2511571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2511570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2511570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2511570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}