Kaylee Hottle

Kaylee Beth Hottle was born on March 17, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia. She was born into an all-deaf family: her parents Joshua Hottle and Ketsi Hottle (credited by IMDb as Ketsi Carlson) are deaf, as is her older sister, and her father's side of the family has four generations of deaf relatives. She also had three younger hearing siblings. Through her mother she was of Korean descent, and she described herself as half Caucasian and half Korean. American Sign Language was her first language. As a child she said she loved seafood, the beach, koalas and kangaroos, and that track was her favorite sport.

Hottle attended the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas, where she ran track and field. She was a senior there when she died in July 2026. In a 2024 interview she said that people at school recognized her after Godzilla vs. Kong, but that it was not as overwhelming as she had feared. The school's community called her a Ranger, after the school's mascot, and her memorial program read "Forever a Ranger. Forever in our hearts."

Hottle started in commercials. IMDb lists a Glide app public service announcement (2016) and the Convo Relay Mother's Day ad (2017), in which she appeared alongside her real mother in an all-deaf cast. She also appeared in 10 Deaf Children: One Powerful Message (2018), produced by ASL Nook.

For Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), casting director Sarah Halley Finn searched for a deaf girl to play Jia through casting networks and deaf theaters. An assistant director from Kong: Skull Island who had seen the Convo commercial led the team to Hottle. The film, directed by Adam Wingard, was her feature debut. Jia, the last of the Iwi people and the adopted daughter of Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), uses sign language to communicate with Kong. Hall and Alexander Skarsgard learned ASL to talk with her on set.

In 2021 she also played Joon in the Magnum P.I. episode "Texas Wedge".

She reprised Jia in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), which explored Jia's Iwi heritage and her bond with Dr. Andrews. An ASL master on set translated her lines into ASL, and she developed the character with Wingard. The performance earned a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor. At the time of her death she was listed in the cast of the upcoming film What Doesn't Kill Us, with deaf actor Alaqua Cox.

Hottle lived in a deaf community and was close to her family. Asked in 2024 whom she admired, she said: "the few people I look up to mostly, are my parents and my sisters." She grew up between her birthplace of Atlanta and Texas, where she attended school in Austin. Details of her private life beyond this were not made public.

Hottle used interviews to argue for authentic deaf representation. She told CherryPicks in 2024: "I think some people see ASL and deafness as a barrier or a gift, but it's just a language, and deaf is just deaf. We can do many things, just not hear. We need more deaf actresses and crew in the industry for people to see and normalize it." She said there was still a lot to do for ASL access and full equality, and hoped other deaf performers would receive the same accessibility she had on set. She described ASL acting as using face, body and hands all at once.

Hottle was one of very few deaf actors to play a central role in a global blockbuster franchise, and she did it in her own language. Her performance as Jia brought ASL to a worldwide audience and is often cited as a landmark for disability and deaf representation in big budget film. The Royal National Institute for Deaf People called her a passionate advocate for the deaf community and deaf actors in Hollywood. The Texas School for the Deaf Foundation honored her for helping audiences understand that being deaf is not a limitation, quoting her words "there are no limits."

Nominee, Best Performance by a Younger Actor, 52nd Saturn Awards, for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024).

Film: Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) as Jia; Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) as Jia; What Doesn't Kill Us (listed, upcoming at the time of her death). Television: Magnum P.I. (2021), episode "Texas Wedge", as Joon. Commercials and short projects: Glide app PSA (2016); Convo Relay "Mother's Day" (2017); 10 Deaf Children: One Powerful Message (2018).

At about 2:52 a.m. on July 21, 2026, Hottle was a passenger in a Honda Accord driven by a 19 year old Frederick man that left a two lane road in Ijamsville, Maryland, and struck a culvert. Police said excessive speed was believed to be a factor. The driver had non life threatening injuries and the other passenger declined treatment. Hottle was flown by Maryland State Police to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, where she was pronounced dead; her father said her heart had stopped before she reached the hospital. The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the cause multiple blunt force injuries and the manner accidental. Her father announced her death in ASL on Facebook and told the driver, "I have forgiven you. Don't let this incident ruin the rest of your life." A memorial service was held at the Texas School for the Deaf on August 3, 2026, followed by burial in Kyle, Texas.