You're 100% correct. Joe Rogan's popularity has nothing to do with the fact that he's not adversarial. I was shocked to read that too, American interviewers a

You're 100% correct. Joe Rogan's popularity has nothing to do with the fact that he's not adversarial. I was shocked to read that too, American interviewers are laughably tame, no one is ever held to account for egregious ideas or behaviors. And yes, most of the tough interviewers I've seen have been on the BBC (see Ben Shapiro's interview where he literally ran away or Boris Johnson's interview where he display an utter lack of understanding of trade law despite posturing as an expert.)