No_U_L7 posted... it's not any one thing he does, it an accumulation over a long period of time
he reframes any objections to give himself value:
him: what brings you to america? (she's foreign)
her (dismissively): just here for the american experience
him: well part of the american experience is meeting cool interesting americans
he knows exactly what story to tell, when to tell it, and the correct format to maximize tension and suspense
he knows exactly what she needs at any given moment, ie: "i need her to think im cool now, im gonna tell the story about the time ___" or "i need to seem more relateable right now, i'll tell her the story about my grandma", etc
it was like he was seeing into the matrix
"It's not manipulation! He just says and does things to get the desired result without a shred of sincerity!"
I actually found this shit amusing to do in my teens. Being able to read people and what they wanted from me has gotten me out of many jams with authority figures in my adolescence. I matured and learned sincerity is a more valued skill. What your idol does, is textbook manipulation.