Video: Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele Lead a School Talent Show in CELEBRITY SUBSTITUTE

Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff and Emmy Award nominee Lea Michele bring their Broadway experience and knowledge to a New York classroom in the latest episode of Celebrity Substitute.

The Spring Awakening stars begin by offering students a lesson in how to make themselves stand out with a gimmick, inspired by the musical Gypsy. In a series of masterclasses, they work one-on-one with the students, coaching them on stage presence, confidence, and how to make an audience fall in love. The episode concludes with a talent show competition: Team Jonathan vs Team Lea. 

Check out the full episode to learn from the real-life friends and watch Groff help a young student prepare for a performance of "You'll Be Back" from Hamilton. Both are currently starring on Broadway, with Groff playing Bobby Darin in Just in Time through March 29 and Michele in Chess, which runs until June 14. 

Hosted by Julian Shapiro-Barnum, Celebrity Substitute sees some of the world’s most recognizable celebrities step in to teach unsuspecting students. Produced in collaboration with Amazon, the series is executive produced by EGOT winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul via their Ampersand production banner. 

As part of each episode, Amazon helps clear items from a lucky teacher’s Amazon Classroom List, a new tool specifically designed to streamline how teachers build and share resources for classrooms and students in their community. Season 2’s star-studded lineup features Reneé Rapp, Role Model, Malala Yousafzai, Ed Sheeran, Rauw Alejandro, and more, each bringing their own unique twist to the day’s lesson.

Season 1 of Celebrity Substitute received the Webby Award for Video & Film Comedy and the 2025 Digiday Streaming & Video Award for Best Brand Film or Series. Celebrity Substitute is an Ampersand production and produced by Danielle Perelman, Zach Stafford, and Sean Walsh. The series is directed by Jake Wilson with Allison Klein as showrunner.

The debut season featured a roster of celebrity guest teachers that included Billie Eilish & FINNEAS, Andrew Garfield & Florence Pugh, Ashley Park, Cynthia Erivo, and more.