Podcasts can easily be entirely free of platforms, networks, editorial control and reliance on advertising, and many of them still are. I hope that at some point we can stop calling anything that doesn't have an rss/atom feed pointing to audio files a podcast, as they don't deserve that name.
I've already abandoned one podcast which moved to Spotify exclusive (The last podcast on the left) out of principle.
Re the view of Rogan, I find it fascinating that Joe is viewed as some kind of right wing chauvinistic demagogue because he has a few controversial guests, and states views in line with 99.9% of the worlds population.
Contrast with someone like Louis Theroux, who has repeatedly visited and palled around with all sorts of controversial people, including white supremacists, Joe Exotic & the Westboro baptist church, all while holding onto an entirely neutral reputation.