Charlie Sheen's sons removed from his home

(CBS/AP) Charlie Sheen was temporarily stripped of custody of his twin sons after a judge granted estranged wife Brooke Mueller a temporary restraining order against him.

The actor confirmed Wednesday that after his two young sons were removed from his house overnight, he's "very calm and focused'' but ready to fight to get them back.

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Pictures: Sheen's ups and downs

Interviewed live on NBC's "Today" show, Sheen said the nearly 2-year-old twins, Bob and Max, were removed after a court order was granted to his estranged wife, Brooke Mueller, who is their mother.

Mueller is claiming the youngsters shouldn't be raised in that environment, where Sheen lives with his two "goddess" girlfriends and where partying that Sheen has described as "epic" has taken place.

According to TMZ, she also submitted a declaration alleging that Sheen threatened her life, saying, ""I will cut your head off, put it in a box and send it to your mom."

She also claims in legal documents that on Feb. 23, Sheen threw a phone inside his house and threatened to stick a penknife in her eye, the website states.

On "Today," Sheen denied Mueller's allegations, saying, "it's colorful ... that's a good one I guess. If you spend enough time around me you can formulate things and make it sound like it could have come from my mouth, but you can do that watching reruns."

He also appealed on camera to Mueller "to reach out to me" to discuss the situation, adding, "I'm sorry you felt this had to be done in this way, but this does not display any responsible parenting."

He said he doesn't know where the boys were taken.

Moments after the "Today'' interview, Sheen told reporters outside his Los Angeles home that the legal move caught him by surprise.

"It came out of the bleachers, actually," he said. "Yeah, I was told a restraining order was being delivered and I thought, 'OK, I can deal with that.' And it was revealed that it was something much more serious."

Asked why Mueller got the court order, he replied, "It's just silly. I think she's latching on to some of this recent press."

Los Angeles police media relations Officer Cleon Joseph confirmed the Sheen kids were taken away.

"Last night police did respond based on the court order and the kids were taken," he said. The officer furnished no more details.

On Tuesday night, Sheen tweeted, "My sons are fine ... My path is now clear .... Defeat is not an option!"