The public airing of troubled actor Charlie Sheen's life took a new twist after his two young sons were taken from his house under a court order.

Sheen said the almost two-year-old twins, Bob and Max, were removed after a the order was granted to his estranged wife, Brooke Mueller, who is their mother.

Ms Mueller is claiming the youngsters should not be raised where Sheen lives with his two "goddess" girlfriends and where partying that Sheen has described as "epic" has taken place.

He appealed on America's NBC Today show to her "to reach out to me" to discuss the situation.

He said he does not know where the boys were taken.

Moments after the 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 Ms 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 confirmed the Sheen children were taken away.

"Last night police did respond based on the court order and the kids were taken," said a spokesman