Kaylee Hottle is an American actress known for her performances in the MonsterVerse movies. One of the few hearing-impaired actors to star in a Hollywood blockbuster, her death in a car accident at the age of 18 on July 21, 2026 shocked fans and colleagues.
Kelly Hottle’s family background
According to IMDb, Kaylee Hottle was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia to parents Ketsi Carlson and Joshua Hottle. Her mother, Kathy, was born in Korea and adopted by a family who moved to Superior, Wisconsin. Her father, Joshua, came from an entirely deaf family with four generations of deaf relatives. Like her father, Kelly is deaf and grew up surrounded by Deaf culture and American Sign Language.Her family is a mixed bag when it comes to hearing conditions—she has an older sister who is also hearing-impaired and three younger brothers who can hear. While she was growing up, her family moved frequently, living in Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado before finally settling in Georgia.Speaking of her role models, Kelly told The Daily Moth, “I look up to a lot of people, but one of the people I look up to, the few people I look up to the most, are my parents and my sisters.”
Hottel won over audiences as Jia, a young girl who develops a unique connection with Kong through American Sign Language. Image source (Kaylee Hottle Instagram)
Kelly Hottle: Early career and acting careerKelly began her career in commercials and public service announcements before landing her breakthrough role. In 2016, she appeared in a public service announcement for the Glide app directed by Jules Dameron. The following year, she appeared in a “Mother’s Day” commercial for video broadcast service Convo Relay.She also starred in the 2018 film 10 Deaf Children: A Powerful Message, directed by Sheena McFeely, one of her earliest projects.According to Forbes, Carey told the Houston Chronicle in March 2024 how the ads led to her big break: “I was connected to Convo. One day they asked me to be in a commercial, so I did that commercial. Then the assistant director on Kong: Skull Island saw me and they thought I fit Jia’s character description.”
The young actress inspired audiences by bringing authentic representations of deaf people into mainstream Hollywood before her tragic death at the age of 18. Image source (Kaylee Hottle Instagram)
The role that changed everything for Kelly Hotel: Jia in “Godzilla vs. Kong”Carey’s career took off when she was cast as Jia, an orphan who communicates in sign language in the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Godzilla. Kong’. In a March 2021 interview with The Daily Moth, she recalled the filming process: “It was shot in Hawaii, and then I came home, and then we flew to Australia for more filming, and then I came home.”She also talked about her character’s connection to Kong: “Because Kong and my character have a special connection. We sign each other. Not with Godzilla; it’s different. We meet later.”“There’s nothing there,” she said of playing opposite a character who doesn’t exist. Yes, it’s a green screen. Sometimes there are lasers or markers for me to look at. In Jurassic Park I saw they used actors to play the dinosaurs and then they edited it but there’s nothing in this film. “
Kelly Hottle attended Texas School for the Deaf
Kelly attended the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin. After her death, the school released a statement: “It is with deep sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland.”She earlier described it as “a great school” in a 2024 interview with Chron magazine.
Kaylee Hottle reprises her role as Jia Yueting in “Godzilla x Kong: A New Empire”
Kelly returns as Jia in the 2024 sequel Godzilla x Kong: A New Empire, alongside Alexander Skarsgård and Millie Bobby BrownAccording to Global News.
Kelly Hottle’s legacy
Kelly’s career was brief, but she proved that authentic casting can work and that talent is not limited by hearing status. Her performance in the Godzilla films remains a hallmark of her time on screen.According to Variety , Kaylee Hottle died in a car accident in Maryland on July 21, 2026. She was 18 years old. Her father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed the news and later recounted the incident in American Sign Language.
