In an interview on Tuesday, Mr. Meyers said he had been contemplating the sit-down format since he took over “Late Night” from Jimmy Fallon in February 2014, and the more low-pressure summer months presented an opportunity to make the switch.

“I’ve always, obviously, been comfortable behind a desk,” Mr. Meyers said. “It seemed like it was time to give it a shot.”

“I’ve embraced the challenge of trying the more conventional late-night monologue,” he added. “I felt like I’d had success telling jokes standing as well, be it at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the ESPYs or even doing stand-up. But I’m also aware that an hour before my show starts, Jimmy’s doing a classic monologue and he’s doing it very well.”

From its creation in the 1950s, Steve Allen’s “Tonight” show often found the host delivering opening remarks at his piano. But a stand-up monologue became the more customary arrangement under Jack Paar (who sometimes sat on a stool), and a defining feature for Johnny Carson, who used it as his signature platform for skewering politicians and grimacing at one-liners that occasionally went bust.

Today, hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, James Corden, Bill Maher and Conan O’Brien perform stand-up monologues, though not every late-night comedian has followed this template. Jon Stewart, who stepped down as host of “The Daily Show” on Thursday, delivered his material on this Comedy Central news satire from behind a desk as well. (The format is also used on programs that share “Daily Show” DNA, like “The Nightly Show” with Larry Wilmore and “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver.)