But in recent years, he's gained wider recognition by giving voice to Latinx LGBTQ stories on his podcast, "De Pueblo, Católico y Gay" or "From Community, Catholic and Gay."
"The first people that connected with the podcast were people who never told their story. People that were so ashamed of who they were. I didn't think this podcast was going to be an interview podcast. I thought it was going to be me sharing my own personal journey," said Diaz Santillan.
He says he saw the Hispanic community was lacking queer voices and hoped to add his own story while working in radio.
"I wanted the listeners to know that the show that they loved because it was the number one show in L.A. was being produced by a gay man. It was very important to me, and my team told me once again 'No, those are not the stories that we talk about,'" said Diaz Santillan.
So he left to produce and host his own podcast. The very first story he told was his own coming out.
"I'm not trying to say that I am courageous, but when I took that first step because the first story on the podcast is my story, and its an interview with my dad," said Diaz Santillan.
The podcast is done exclusively in Spanish. On each episode Diaz Santillan interviews individuals on their journey of discovery and what impact religion and traditional family values have had on their ability to come out to family and friends. In four years of hosting the podcast, Diaz Santillan has produced 132 episodes which are heard in 30 countries with legions of fans tuning in and connecting to the stories.
"It is really important to do this in Spanish because I feel like it has to connect with the stories of the people I am interviewing to their parents, to their grandparents, to everybody that is around them," said Diaz-Santillan.
"I want them to be able to come to the podcast and find a little bit of themselves in it."