Has Stephen Colbert always been so bad as an interviewer?

Honestly, most "journalists" are bad interviewers and most talk show hosts are even worse.  If you're a talk show host you're usually trying to softball the interview because you don't want to scare off future interview opportunities and most people who appear on your show are there to promote a book or a movie or whatever.

But Journalists are terrible too because in the modern media climate, journalists have become celebrities.  So they want their interview to act as virtue signalling to increase their prestige.  They don't give a flying f--k about truth or information anymore.  So for popular people they give soft interviews...often even helping the subject through tough questions.  I saw an "interview" with Joe Biden where Biden was struggling so badly it was painful to watch and the interviewer was feeding him answers in the pretext of the question AND during his answer.  And when the interview target is not part of the in-crowd, they absolutely savage them with unfair gotcha questions, emotional appeals, cutting them off and so forth.  

And I don't mean that only left journalists do this.  Fox's Hannity and others have elevated this nonsense to an art form.

IMHO, the best interviewer currently operating is, and don't laugh, Joe Rogan.  I'm a veyr recent convert to his podcast and while his choice of guests is often dreadful, his interviewing skills are absolutely outstanding when he isn't just shooting the breeze.  He asks thoughtful, insightful questions in non-confrontational ways...and then LETS HIS SUBJECT TALK.  It's something you never see on TV or hear on radio anymore.  Rogan actually lets people express COMPLETE THOUGHTS.  But he also doesn't let them get away with half-answers.  He will come back with follow-up pointing out problems or issues with fake answers...yet does so non-confrontationally so that the interview never descends into a screaming match.

Rogan's podcast has alot of defects - like his tendency towards conspiracy - but he's the best long-form interviewer going.  Every journalist school should start a course with Rogan at it's center to teach interviewing.

he and the other late night people are not funny at all.  I do not watch them any more

and never will.   I tell other people also not to watch them and they agree with me.

they are stupid like biden is/ he is also senile. biden & his family should be in jail for

all their connections with China. they are running our country into the ground and if

they let these immigrants in our country we will get more of the china covid spread.

Aren't you afraid of getting this china virus????? and foreigners getting your jobs.

Closing the pipe lines -look how biden put so many people out of work.  If we are going to support these immigrants with all our money what money is left for 

unemployment?  helping the other Americans.   obama care was a mess before so

bringing it back is another poor move for biden.  he has not made a good move yet.

dump pelosi and some of these blacks in office.  the vp does not even know what

nationality she is/ she changes it like someone changes their socks. biden with obamas ruling chose such a poor house.  Also blm, antifa etc/they were the ones that

startd the riot at the capital. not the President Trump supporter.  We will never be one

country again.  biden is a paid off person along with the rest of his family. clinton and

obama etc.

Yes, and he's subhuman 

I think he is alright  I watch every night.

i believe its called padding

In my opinion, it depends on who he's interviewing.  He's better with politicians, journalists, and the like than he is with celebrities (unless he's friends with them already, like Dana Carvey).

There are people who are a lot worse, but who do YOU consider to be best?

And, is there something in particular that Colbert does that annoys you.

Johnny Carson was generally good, but he got tongue-tied when interviewing certain women -- those he seemed to have a crush on.

He just became a Trump basher. He focuses too much on the president. 

He still around?