Red Carpet Confidential: Vivica A. Fox Gives Cougar Tips

Younger men can't resist Vivica A. Fox, who recently celebrated her 45th birthday in Las Vegas whooping it up with Beyonce and Jay-Z backstage during her concert.

“Jay-Z popped a bottle of champagne and toasted me, and it was just great,” the actress, who appears in The N’s DeGrassi Goes Hollywood airing tonight at 8 p.m., tells me. She adds, “It was an intimate affair.”

At 39, Jay-Z may be married to the woman who made a Vivica birthday shoutout part of her show. But boyish single men certainly take a shine to the smart, sassy divorcee.

“Younger guys happen to be attracted to me, so I might as well enjoy it while they’re looking,” she says. “I’m very young spirited.”

What advice would she give other women who want to be cougars?

“If you’re dating someone who’s younger, you have to allow them their space to grow because a lot of experiences that you’ve already had, they’re gonna go through,” she tells me. “Don’t become a mom and tell them what they’re gonna go through. Just become their friend and have a great time with them, and let the relationship mature.”

Vivica calls herself “happily single.”

“Every morning when I wake up, whatever Vivica wants to do, that’s what we do,” she says. “I don’t have to answer to anyone. I’m having a great time in life. It’s not that I don’t want to be in a relationship or that I don’t want to date. Right now, I happen to be single, and I don’t have a problem with it. I’m not always searching. A man doesn’t validate me because I’m happy with me. It would be great if someone could be a plus to my life, but it’s hard. You have to learn to keep your dating life private until the relationship has become solid.”

She doesn’t want to be tripped up by Mr. Wrong.

“He’s gotta have his own identity and his own income and his own happiness. If he doesn’t have those three things, then please stay away from me.”

What advice would she give her younger self?

“Take your time getting to know people. People aren’t always what they seem to be or appear to be. People can put on different faces. Take your time to get to know people for professional and for personal, especially when it comes to dating.”