Video: Watch Reneé Rapp Teach Music to Kids in New Episode of CELEBRITY SUBSTITUTE

Reneé Rapp is kicking off Season 2 of Celebrity Substitute, the digital series from Julian Shapiro-Barnum and Broadway composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Hosted by Shapiro-Barnum, the hit series sees some of the world’s most recognizable celebrities step in to teach unsuspecting students.

In the new episode, the Mean Girls star surprises a classroom of kids by becoming their music teacher for the day, turning an ordinary New York Public School class at PS 316 into a recording studio. Watch as the performer teaches kids warm-ups, vocal technique, and the confidence to perform, before recording their own special kids’ version of Reneé’s hit song, “Leave Me Alone.” New episodes of the series will debut every other Wednesday through December. 

Produced in collaboration with Amazon, Celebrity Substitute combines A-list celebrity guests with educational content and community support, delivering meaningful moments that help students and teachers experience everyday wins.

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 will feature GIGI HADID, 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.