SNL sketch 'Teacher Snow Day' features J.K. Simmons and partying teachers

Nbc: When J.K. Simmons hosted Saturday Night Live on January 31, 2015, he joined the Season 40 cast for a music video called "Teacher Snow Day" that portrays teachers using a snow day to party in the halls of their empty school.

The sketch features Leslie Jones rapping, "Kids want the day off? Get in line," and the line, "...Behind overworked teachers getting drunk on wine." Cast members throwing down include Jones, Cecily Strong, Sasheer Zamata, Kyle Mooney, Bobby Moynihan, Jay Pharoah, Kate McKinnon, Kenan Thompson and Aidy Bryant, with Pete Davidson playing a confused student who says he "came to school by mistake." Simmons appears as the principal and tells staff, "The dress code is out, I'm not wearing pants," while a background choir singing "Teach the children" helps turn the number into a bona fide bop.

The sketch was written by Natasha Rothwell during her one season as a writer on SNL; in honor of the show's 50th anniversary she posted behind-the-scenes photos and wrote, "Ten years ago I made some core memories with some incredible people and lived to tell the tale." This was one of several SNL sketches addressing teachers — Season 49's "Teacher PSA," starring Maya Rudolph, also lamented educators' struggles in a post-pandemic world — and viewers can stream every season of Saturday Night Live on Peacock.

Key Topics

Culture, Saturday Night Live, J.k. Simmons, Teacher Snow Day, Natasha Rothwell, Leslie Jones